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"  IT  WAS  SUCH  A  LITTLE  BIT  OF  A  SHORT  WALK."— Page  36. 


Lakewood 


of 


BY 

MARY  HARRIOTT  NORRIS 


Illustrated  by  Louise  L.  Heustis 


Hew  H?orft  and  ILon&on  - 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES   COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


,  1895, 

be 

ffre&ertcfc  B.  Stoftca  Company 


primes  in  Hmctica 


TO 

L.  F.  P. 


\j}  . 


LAKEWOOD. 


CHAPTER   1. 

A  HUGE  log  fire  was  burning  on  the  hearth  of 
the  Lakewood  station.  A  short,  thick-set  man  of 
cheerful  aspect  occupied  a  settee  near  the  fire. 
His  gaze  was  fixed  on  a  window  looking  up  the 
track.  The  3.45  train  from  New  York  was  late. 

A  motley  array  of  vehicles  made  a  semicircle 
around  the  station,  which  could  have  been  mis- 
taken for  a  stone  church  or  a  lodge,  were  it  not  for 
the  wide  platforms  and  the  straight  tracks  run- 
ning north  and  south. 

A  foreign-looking  woman  in  voluminous  fur 
wraps  strode  up  and  down  the  front  platform. 
Young  men  with  canes  and  in  fur  caps  were  also 
outside  in  considerable  force.  Every  one  and 
every  thing  wore  the  delightful  coming  and  going 
air  marking  a  fashionable  resort. 

Suddenly  the  train,  much  foreshortened,  glided 
into  view. 

The  foreigner   tucked  a  red  silk  handkerchief 


2  XahewooD. 

around  her  neck.  The  young  men  turned  up 
their  astrakhan  or  seal  collars  and  tried  to  look 
as  cold  as  possible.  The  carriages  fell  into  closer 
line.  The  man  on  the  settee,  with  an  added  light 
in  his  clear,  full  blue  eyes,  went  outside. 

A  swarm  of  passengers  crowded  from  the  train. 
They  were  an  astonishingly  large  "  first-class " 
company.  Some  hurried  to  the  enormous  stages, 
others  to  the  carriages  ;  a  handful  started  at  a 
brisk  pace  down  the  board  sidewalks  radiating 
towards  the  town.  The  foreign  woman,  with 
athletic  vehemence,  joyfully  shook  hands  with  a 
man  who  carried  a  huge  bass-viol  in  a  green 
covered  case. 

The  countenance  of  the  man  who  had  sat  so 
long  on  the  settee  beamed  with  delight  as  the  last 
passenger  in  the  rear  car  appeared  at  the  door 
and  cast  a  serene,  curious  gaze  upon  her  sur- 
roundings. Her  gaze  expanded  a  trifle  as  she 
discovered  her  escort.  She  smiled  affably  as  she 
gave  him  her  hand  while  alighting.  A  porter  and 
a  conductor,  each  grasping  an  arm  at  the  same 
time,  considerably  expedited  her  descent. 

She  shook  herself  out  a  little  later,  when 
released,  and  said, 

"  This  is  a  surprise.  I  did  not  expect  to  see 
you  down  here." 

"  Glad  to  see  me,  though,  I  hope  ?  "  he  asked 
in  a  neutral,  cheerful  tone. 


* 


XafcewooD.  3 

"  O,  yes  indeed — very.  Dear,  dear,  what  a 
sharp  wind  ! "  as  they  turned  the  corner  of  the 
station.  "  I  thought  Lakewood  was  the  land  of 
balmy  air  and  sunshine." 

"  So  it  is  !  so  it  is  !  It  is  always  bleak  around 
this  station  though.  But  wait  till  we  go  for  a 
drive  in  the  pines." 

His  voice  had  taken  on  a  slight  boyish 
eagerness. 

She  glanced  at  him  good-humoredly,  perhaps 
with  something  fleetingly  motherly  in  her  aspect 
as  he  mentioned  the  drive. 

"Aren't  the  pines  a  myth,  after  all?  "she 
queried,  stepping  into  the  brougham. 

"  A  myth  !  I  could  take  you  nine  miles  in  a 
bee-line  to  the  sea  through  the  pines  and  not 
strike  a  single  opening."  Apparently  he  grew 
more  and  more  exhilarated  as  he  talked. 

She  was  a  very  elegant  woman,  and  as  she  sank 
back  into  her  corner  of  the  carriage,  her  fair, 
serene  face  with  those  mild,  yet  watchful  blue 
eyes  turned  toward  him,  a  flush  of  further  anima- 
tion overspread  his  kind,  frank  face.  Although 
four  or  five  years  her  senior,  his  manner  was  so 
confiding  and  happy,  that  he  seemed  more  youth- 
ful than  she  did. 

"  Is  Ethel  as  well  as  usual  ?  "  she  asked,  after  a 
minute's  silence. 

"  Yes,  about  !  "  A  shade  of  seriousness  deepened 


4 


Xafcewoofc. 


his  voice.  "  The  fact  is,  I  am  down  here  on 
Ethel's  account.  Usually  I  feel  like  letting  lovers 
have  their  way,  yet  when  I  think  of  what  a  pair 
of  simpletons  Theodore  and  Ethel  were  to 
marry " 

"  This  from  you  who  are  always  so  positively 
optimistic  !  " 

He  laughed  good-naturedly  and  apologetic- 
ally. 

"  You  see  if  I  weren't  a  doctor,  I  wouldn't 
understand  the  trend  of  things  so  well.  For 
two  such  children  to  marry  is  no  laughing 
matter." 

"  Very  true,"  she  said  contemplatively,  but 
there  was  a  wistful  far-away  look  in  her  lovely 
eyes.  "  They  are  great  lovers,  you  know." 

"  That's  so  !  Well,  you  will  see  for  yourself  in 
five  minutes. — There's  the  '  Laurel  House.'  It 
can't  shake  a  stick  at  the  '  Lakewood '  for  style, 
but  it  is  an  awfully  cosy  place  to  stop  at. 
Right  in  town  too.  Nice  place  for  men  on  that 
account." 

"  I  want  to  get  away  from  town." 

"  You  can't  do  it  at  Lakewood.  You  will  soon 
find  that  out.  Society  is  here  in  solid  pha- 
lanxes. You  will  meet  about  everybody  you 
know." 

"  Not  at  Ethel's  cottage,  surely." 

"  Precisely  the  place."     Dr.  Brighteck  grasped 


Xafcewood.  5 

his  knees  conclusively.  "  She  is  simply  run  over 
with  company.  Avalanches  fall  upon  her  from 
the  '  Laurel-in-the-Pines.'  Whole  fleets  sail 
through  her  hospitable  doors  from  the  '  Lake- 
wood.'  As  for  the  cottagers — well,  there  is  no 
end  to  the  dinners,  charity  entertainments, 
musicals,  lectures,  lunches,  drives — oh,  you'll 
find  Ethel  in  full  swing." 

"  You  surprise  me,"  and  Mrs.  Candace  looked 
still  more  grave.  "  She  wrote  she  was  afraid  I 
would  find  the  life  here  rather  monotonous." 

Dr.  Brighteck  sat  back  and  laughed. 

"  Exactly  like  Ethel.  She  has  no  sense  of  pro- 
portion, nor  Theodore  either.  They  are  two  of 
the  happiest-go-lucky  fools  I  ever  knew — and 
yet,  when  I  am  once  under  their  roof,  if  I  don't 
bask  in  their  sunshine  like  everybody  else  !  " 

They  turned  off  Madison  Avenue  into  the 
broad  drive  to  the  chateau-like  "  Laurel-in-the- 
Pines." 

On  their  left  was  the  lake,  its  surface  a 
steely-blue  under  a  mottled  sky.  On  their 
right  was  a  cluster  of  cottages  with  large  spaces 
between. 

The  yellow  soil,  the  patches  of  sun  lying  like 
whipped  cream  lightly  on  the  sandy  loams  and 
lawns,  the  high  crooning  whistle  of  the  wind,  and 
a  park-like  appearance  everywhere,  pleased  Mrs. 
Candace.  She  leaned  forward  with  quite  a  show 


6  XahewooD. 

of  interest  when  her  companion  pointed  to  an 
ample  colonial  mansion  sheltered  at  the  north  by 
a  grove  of  sombre  pines. 

"  It  is  all  unusual  and  pretty.  Five  years 
abroad  gives  one  opportunity,  after  all,  for  sur- 
prises at  home.  I  had  no  idea  things  were  so 
finished  or  extensive.  It  is  as  tame  but  as 
cheerful  as  Parisian  suburbs.  I  am  afraid  I  am 
growing  hopelessly  fond  of  everything  highly 
civilized." 

"  Civilization  won't  spoil  you.  Very  few  are 
like  you,  though,"  and  he  regarded  her  approv- 
ly.  "  Civilization  is  your  birthright  ;  it  is  your 
native  air ;  but  for  most  of  us  Americans  it  is 
still  a  veneer —  -  ah,  too  rare  I  mean.  I'd  like  to 
give  a  whoop  this  minute." 

"  You  may." 

"  I  haven't  time,  for  here  we  are.  Look  at 
Ethel's  windows — fluffy  and  airy,  and  frail  as  she 
—but  mighty  pretty.  And  the  inside  of  the 
coop — whew." 

She  glanced  over  the  spacious  front  of  "  Pine 
Burrs."  Her  feminine  love  of  elegant  drapery 
was  gratified.  Every  window  shone  with  plate- 
glass  splendor,  and  each  was  hung  with  fine  lace  or 
mull  curtains,  behind  or  through  which  glimmered 
silk  draperies  of  all  sorts  of  rich  colors  and  tex- 
tures. The  side  lights  of  the  broad,  many  panelled 
front  door  were  filled  with  pale  green  silk,  and  the 


Xahewoofc.  7 

great  windows  giving  on  the  dazzling  white 
piazza,  were  softened  with  sash-hangings  of  the 
same  delicate  shade. 

As  Elizabeth  Candace,  her  skirts  caught  grace- 
fully in  either  hand,  ascended  the  steps,  the  door 
was  swung  open  by  a  butler  in  knee-breeches  and 
scarlet  vest.  Just  behind  him,  near  a  fire,  and 
with  the  quartered  oak  of  the  immense  hall  for  a 
background,  stood  young  Mrs.  Grace,  shielding 
the  open  neck  of  her  gown  with  a  slender  white 
hand,  for  a  sharp  gust  of  wind  swept  in. 

"  Quick,  Buxton,  shut  the  door." 

As  the  door  swung  closed,  she  sprang  toward 
her  friend,  both  hands  extended,  and  the  sweetest 
possible  welcome  illuminating  each  delicate 
feature.  She  kissed  Mrs.  Candace  excitedly  and 
enthusiastically — standing  off  one  moment  to 
look  at  her  guest,  and  the  next  clasping  Mrs. 
Candace  in  both  arms. 

"  You — are — the  dearest  creature  " — another 
kiss — "  to  come  !  You'll  find  everything  very 
simple — primitive — but  we  are  really  most  com- 
fortable." 

"  You  know  my  tastes  were  always  primitive, 
Ethel,  and  though  I  perceive  Lakewood  is  an 
exceedingly  plain  resort — still ;  "  and  she  broke 
into  a  laugh. 

"  Well,  after  Paris,  you  know  ?  " 

"  I  never  yet  have  seen  suburban  simplicity  like 


8  lafcewood. 

this  near  Paris.  However,  I  am  used  to  rough- 
ing  it." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  is  pretty  ? "  now  asked 
Ethel  simply. 

"  I  do,  as  much  as  I  have  seen  of  it." 

"  Come  right  upstairs.  I  have  given  you  the  very 
prettiest  room  in  the  house,  not  the  most  elegant, 
but  the  prettiest." 

"  I  am  glad  you  had  regard  to  my  simple 
tastes." 

"  Now,  Mrs.  Candace  !  I  am  more  in  awe  of 
your  taste  than  of  any  one's  in  the  world.  You 
know  I  am." 

They  walked  arm-in-arm  up  the  wide  staircase, 
broken  by  landings,  Ethel  casting  a  glance  of 
girlish  delight  around  as  they  came  out  on  a 
second  hall,  a  fac-simile  of  the  one  below,  except 
that  it  was  painted  in  white  and  hung  all  over 
with  water-colors,  while  its  ample  windows  were 
draped  in  rose-pink. 

"  We  call  this  hall  '  Spring.'  Isn't  it  gay  and 
sunny  ?  " 

"Beautiful!"  Mrs.  Candace  looked  around 
with  critical  approval. 

"  And  this  is  your  room."  Ethel  turned  the 
door-knob  eagerly. 

"  It  is  charming,  dear.     Thank  you." 

"  Now  I  will  leave  you  alone  for  an  hour.  And 
oh,  after  dinner  a  few  friends  are  coming  in,  rather 


Xafcewoofc*  9 

informally,  to  hear  Miss  Max  lecture  on  *  Roman 
Antiquities.' " 

"  Miss  Max  !  not  Portia  Max  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Portia  Max.  Would  you' have  believed 
it  !  She  will  do  herself  credit  too.  We  may 
dance  awhile  after  the  lecture.  Look  your  love- 
liest, please ; "  and  Ethel,  nodding  gaily,  with- 
drew. 


io  Xaftewoofc* 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  white-and-gold  drawing-room  was  arranged 
for  the  lecture,  which  was  to  begin  at  half-past 
eight. 

The  electric  lights  around  the  ceiling  shone  in 
subdued  brilliancy  through  clusters  of  crystal 
roses.  There  were  flowers  everywhere.  Chairs 
of  various  shapes  and  sizes  were  set  in  semi- 
circles, and  a  little  separated  from  them  was  a 
high-backed  Florentine  seat  beside  an  onyx  table 
whose  sole  ornament  was  a  basket  of  lilies. 

"  There  !  I  should  think  Portia  would  find  it 
easy  to  talk  here,"  and  Ethel  looked  around  judi- 
ciously. "  I  feel  awfully  anxious  about  her.  To- 
night means  so  much.  How  long  since  you  saw 
Portia,  Mrs.  Candace  ?" 

"  Let  me  think.  Why,  it  must  be  seven  years. 
I  did  not  realize  it  was  so  long.  While  I  was 
dressing  for  dinner  I  kept  thinking  of  her — as 
she  looked  the  summer  she  was  engaged  to 
Donald  Blair." 

"  Poor  Portia  !  " 

"  I  remember,  too,  an  odd  circumstance  that 
summer  in  connection  with  her.  A  gypsy  was 


Xaftewoofc.  n 

telling  our  various  fortunes,  and  when  it  came  to 
Portia's  turn  he  absolutely  refused  to  say  a  word." 

"  Yes,  I  know  ;  Mrs.  Clay  was  there  too  and  she 
was  telling  me  only  the  other  day  it  must  have 
been  because  Portia  was  to  have  such  tremendous 
sorrows  and  misfortunes.  She  is  the  bravest 
little  thing." 

"  I  never  knew  she  had  talent  of  this  sort." 

"She  hasn't  a  particle  of  talent — only  sheer, 
downright  pluck.  She  must  do  something,  and 
as  everybody  who  becomes  reduced  nowadays 
tries  readings  or  recitations  or  lectures,  why, 
Portia's  friends  got  together  and  agreed  to  make 
up  a  course  for  her.  There  are  to  be  six  ! " 

Ethel  clasped  her  hands  tragically  and  looked 
with  a  woebegone  expression  at  her  friend.  "  We 
are  bound  to  support  her  though,  even  if  she 
should  prove  as  dry  as  her  subject — and  then,  she 
will  do  it  cheaper  than  some  one  well  known.  It 
allows  us  to  have  our  customary  winter  class  and 
at  the  same  time  we  shall  be  accomplishing  a  real 
kindness.  After  each  lecture  we  are  to  have  a 
little  dance  and  supper.  Portia  has  been  invited 
to  stay  for  them  as  well.  It  is  really  a  nice  thing 
for  her." 

"  How  much  do  you  give  her  a  lecture  ?  " 

"  Ten  dollars.  Very  good ;  don't  you  think 
so?" 

"  It  depends.     I   suppose  she   has   to   have   a 


12  lafcewoofc. 

special  dress  and  carriage.  It  would  never  do 
to  appear  in  the  evening  in  walking  boots  in  this 
parlor." 

"  O,  Mrs.  Clay  is  going  to  send  a  carriage  for 
her.  As  to  a  special  dress,  Portia  is  so  literally 
without  one  fine  gown  that  these  occasions  are 
mercies.  She  simply  has  to  have  one.  I  am 
anticipating  seeing  her  look  fashionable  once 
more." 

"  But  can't  you  realize,  dear,  it  will  take  all  the 
money  from  the  lectures  to  buy  the  dress.  Then 
there  are  the  hard  work  and  excitement." 

"  It  won't  take  all  the  money  in  her  case.  She 
will  make  it  herself.  She  will  get  that  dress 
for  forty  dollars  and  then  clear  twenty.  Besides, 
it  is  an  opening.  If  she  succeeds  at  all,  Mrs. 
Darlington  is  going  to  arrange  for  a  public  lecture 
at  the  '  Lakewood.'  I  think  her  prospects  very 
bright — considering." 

Mrs.  Candace  looked  down  gravely  at  Ethel, 
fragile  as  a  tea-rose  and  as  exquisite  as  one  in  a 
nest  of  green  leaves,  for  she  was  christening  the 
latest  novelty  Doucet  had  sent  over — a  pale  green 
crepe  empire  gown  relieved  around  the  bodice 
with  pearls,  while  rows  of  the  same  waxy  beads 
trimmed  the  bouffant  sleeves.  Pearls  of  fabulous 
price  glistened  in  her  shell-like  ears.  Her  slender 
fingers  were  burdened  with  gems. 

Elizabeth   withdrew   into    herself.       For    this 


XafcewooD.  13 

young  woman  laden  with  wealth  had  spoken  of 
cheapness  as  a  desideratum  concerning  the  lec- 
tures. Dr.  Brighteck  was  right.  The  disregard 
of  money  where  higher  refinements  were  con- 
cerned was  still  unknown  as  an  American  virtue. 
The  social  atmosphere  was  still  murky  with  has- 
tily won,  hardly  kept  and  greedily  enjoyed 
material  luxury. 

"  I  have  given  Portia  the  onyx  table.  She  is 
so  fond  of  beautiful  things.  It  doesn't  represent 
what  it  once  did,  for  the  duty  is  taken  off  onyx, 
and  you  can  buy  tables  almost  as  good  as  mine 
at  Sterns'  or  Macy's,  only  the  brass  of  these 
cheaper  styles  is  of  course  not  hammered ;  but 
they  look  about  as  well.  I  keep  my  fondness  for 
the  table,  though,  because  we  picked  it  up  on  our 
wedding  trip. — And  I  bought  that  basket  of 
lilies  with  my  own  money.  I  am  going  to  let 
Portia  take  them  home  with  her.  She  will  be 
so  surprised.  Dear  me,  do  you  remember  her 
grandfather's  conservatories  ?  I  often  wonder  if 
she  ever  thinks  of  them.  She  never  speaks,though, 
of  the  past." 

"  What  has  she  been  doing  since — since  she  was 
thrown  on  her  own  resources  ?  " 

"  Almost  everything.  Read  to  invalids,  been 
a  companion,  tried  to  teach  small  children  in  a 
deaf-mute  school.  It  has  been  dreadful."  Ethel 
shut  her  eyes  and  gave  a  faint  shiver. 


i4  Xafcewoofc. 

"  How  does  it  happen  the  men  are  to  be 
present.  I  thought  men  never  appeared  at  parlor 
lectures  given  by  women.  Is  it  a  new  fashion 
sprung  up  since  I  went  away?  " 

"  No,  it  is  Portia's  own  idea.  You  see  the  men 
who  will  be  here  know  all  about  her — most  of 
them  used  to  know  her  intimately.  She  said  if 
she  did  it  at  all,  she  preferred  a  mixed  audience — 
that  it  seemed  more  impersonal.  Besides,  it  will 
be  a  preparation  for  the  public  lecture." 

Mrs.  Candace  smiled  gently.  She  respected  the 
delicate  effort  on  Portia's  part  to  obtain  an  un- 
biased verdict  as  well  as  to  take  a  position  before 
the  public  untrammelled  by  sex.  She  found  her 
old  interest  in  a  former  school-friend  greatly 
reviving. 

"  It  is  time  they  were  coming.  Half-past  eight 
is  rather  early  as  so  many  of  our  friends  dine  late. 
But  the  committee  decided  it  was  the  best  hour 
for  Portia.  Ah,  here  is  some  one." 

Mrs.  Candace,  at  Ethel's  request,  assisted  in 
receiving  the  guests. 

There  were  numerous  exclamations  of  surprise 
as  one  after  another  met  the  long  absent  travel- 
ler who  was  welcomed  with  the  peculiar  empresse- 
ment  given  only  to  a  woman  of  the  highest 
social  position  or  one  endowed  with  vast  personal 
resources. 

Any   discriminating    observer    would    surmise 


XafcewooD.  15 

that  Elizabeth  Candace  was  blest  in  both  of 
these  respects. 

At  length  every  one  had  come.  All  were 
seated.  There  was  an  occasional  subdued 
rustle  of  silk,  there  was  the  scented  air  from 
waving  fans.  There  were  numerous  costumes 
from  Worth,  Doucet  and  famous  city  modistes. 
The  men  were  out  in  force,  a  few  looking  blandly 
amused,  others  indifferent ;  on  the  face  of  a  half 
dozen  was  a  mild  curiosity  to  see  Portia  Max  in 
this  new  phase  of  her  panoramic  life.  One  man, 
far  above  the  average  height,  with  sharply-cut 
features,  a  short  chin  beard,  and  gold-rimmed 
eye-glasses  making  more  prominent  an  unworldly 
pair  of  blue-gray  eyes  stood  at  one  corner  of  the 
mantel  facing  the  doors.  He  wanted  to  see  Miss 
Max  enter. 

Upstairs  in  Ethel's  sitting-room,  waiting  the 
summons  to  descend,  sat  the  lecturer.  Her  small 
feet,  in  black  slippers  and  silk  stockings,  were 
rigidly  crossed.  The  folds  of  her  black  and  red 
silk  muslin  dress  fell  around  her  without  a  break. 
Her  little  thin  fingers  were  absently  picking  at 
the  upholstery  of  her  chair.  A  high,  faintly-smil- 
ing somewhat  strained  expression  emphasized 
each  feature. 

She  was  trying  to  recall  the  heads  of  her  care- 
fully-written talk.  But  instead,  the  Astor  library, 
with  its  rows  on  rows  of  books,  the  noiseless  libra- 


x6  XafcewooD. 

nans  passing  hither  and  thither  with  huge  folios, 
her  own  vast  pile  of  works  of  reference,  her  tired 
back  and  crammed  memory  kept  coming  to  the 
surface  as  prime  facts. 

"  Seven  Hills  of  Rome — myths — historical  poets 
connected  with  them." 

"  Forum — Temple  of  Peace — Vestal  Virgins — 
old  pavement — anecdotes  about  cats  haunting  the 
Forum  ruins." 

"  Appian  Way — history  of  gate  giving  on  Ap- 
pian  Way ; — Monument  of  Cecelia  Metella — Ashes 
of  the  Pisans — as  anecdotes." 

"  Coliseum — Allusion  to  Daisy  Miller  and  The 
Lady  or  the  Tiger." 

"  Catacombs — oh,  how  I  wish  I  were  lying  in 
them,  a  heap  of  dust,  this  minute  !  "  Portia  brushed 
a  tear  away. 

Then  her  sensitive  mouth  became  tense,  and 
resolutely  fixing  on  the  wall  a  blank  gaze  behind 
which  was  a  blanker  mind,  she  waited. 

Presently  the  door  opened,  and  the  liveried 
butler  said  impressively : 

"  Mrs.  Grace  sent  me  for  you,  Miss." 

She  grasped  her  MS.  A  little,  curdling  shiver 
meandered  down  her  back.  Her  heart  gave  a 
quivering  throb  as  she  reached  the  final  landing 
of  the  staircase.  A  few  steps  below  was  Ethel, 
radiant,  encouraging,  and  with  a  tenderly  affec- 
tionate look  and  manner.  She  seized  Portia's 


XahewooD.  17 

hand,  whispering — "  Don't  be  afraid.  You  know 
we  all  love  you." 

She  gave  a  little  return  squeeze  and  then 
walked  behind  Ethel  who  gracefully  rearranged 
the  Florentine  seat,  set  the  basket  of  lilies  a 
little  forward  and  examined  the  tall  lamp  in  a 
crimson-colored  shade  just  back  of  the  onyx  table. 
Mrs.  Grace  enjoyed  being  a  hostess.  And  now, 
as  her  part  was  finished,  she  gave  Portia  a  sum- 
marizing, encouraging  smile  and  glided  to  her  chair. 

The  tall  man  with  the  eye-glasses  also  took  a 
seat,  but  continued  steadfastly,  wonderingly,  star- 
ing at  Miss  Max.  He  was  an  amateur  entomolo- 
gist. 

Here  and  there  a  wife  nestled  a  little  closer  to 
her  husband. 

Some  of  the  men  became  retrospective.  Many 
simply  wondered  if  she  would  get  through. 

A  tall  brunette  with  a  sweet  mouth  and  a  fine 
dignity  felt  her  feet  suddenly  grow  cold  out  of 
nervous  sympathy.  She  noticed  Elizabeth  Can- 
dace's  expression  of  intense  solicitude.  Mrs.  Can- 
dace  sat  in  the  front  row,  Portia  suddenly 
glanced  towards  her,  recognized  her  as  quickly, 
even  after  the  lapse  of  years,  and  also  recognized 
a  woman  with  the  loyal  spirit  of  a  Crusader.  She 
did  not  take  the  loyalty  to  herself,  but  she  did  to 
womankind  in  general.  She  all  at  once  glowed 
with  a  purpose  to  please  Mrs.  Candace. 


i8  XafcewooD. 

The  entomologist  noted  the  flash  of  sympathy 
between  the  two  women,  as  well  as  the  sponta- 
neousness  of  the  brunette.  He  marvelled  at  the 
quick  intuition  and  silent  electric  exchange  of 
sympathy  and  fortitude  possible  to  women. 

"  It  is  the  dominant  sex  for  all  higher  pur- 
poses," he  said  to  himself. 

And  then  the  lecturer  began.  She  talked  cor- 
rectly and  relevantly,  marshalled  her  facts  and  her 
anecdotes  respectably,  had  her  beginning,  middle 
and  end  duly  blocked  off,  and  let  her  hearers  know 
in  time  to  save  them  from  ennui  exactly  how  much 
ground  she  had  gone  over  and  how  much  was 
left.  She  had  memorized  her  lecture  so  thoroughly 
that  she  found  she  could  talk  without  her  manu- 
script. This  increased  her  freedom  of  speech  and 
simplicity  of  manner.  She  was  never  brilliant, 
but  she  was  clear,  explicit,  and,  what  was  more 
to  the  purpose  with  such  a  gathering,  she  was 
pleasant  to  look  at,  and  her  voice  had  a  genuine 
melody  and  womanly  sweetness  entirely  devoid 
of  stage  effect. 

Her  friends  felt  immensely  relieved  that  she 
had  succeeded  so  well.  Those  who  were  present 
merely  because  Mrs.  Grace  had  invited  them  were 
willing  to  be  introduced,  and  the  men  said  she  was 
a  clever  little  thing  and  that  it  was  an  awful  pity 
some  fellow  hadn't  picked  her  up  long  ago  and 
married  her. 


Xafcewoofc.  19 

Portia's  chief  thought  when  she  had  finished 
was  that  she  wished  she  need  never  do  it  again — 
and  that  there  were  five  more  talks  in  the  course  ! 
But  she  hadn't  time  to  think  long,  because  the 
tall  brunette  came  forward,  took  her  hand  and 
said  "Thank  you,"  Another  lady  with  a  cold 
eye  and  a  prejudiced  mouth  asked  ingenuously, 
"  Who  writes  your  lectures  for  you,  Miss  Max  ?  " 
And  still  another  pushed  forward  and  said  in  a 
high  treble,  "  Shall  I  pay  you  in  a  check  or  in 
money  ?  Must  I  take  the  whole  course,  or  can 
I  come  when  I  wish  and  pay  for  separate 
lectures?  " 

Ethel  broke  in  promptly  with  "  Mrs.  Darlington 
is  the  secretary." 

Mrs.  Candace  stood  a  little  behind  Portia,  and 
when  there  was  a  lull  she  took  the  small,  moist, 
tremulous  hands,  saying,  "  I  am  glad  I  came  back 
in  time  to  hear  your  first  lecture.  May  I  call  on 
you  soon  ?  " 

Portia  said  yes,  slightly  averting  her  face  to 
conceal  the  tears. 

The  entomologist  now  asked  for  an  introduc- 
tion, and  after  it  was  given  said  sincerely  and 
abruptly,  "  It  was  much  better  than  I  expected. 
I  am  coming  to  every  one."  As  he  turned  away, 
something  in  the  small  crimson  dots  of  Miss 
Max's  dress  made  him  think  of  the  last  beetle 
he  had  transfixed,  and  he  suspected  she  had 


20  Xahewoofc. 

suffered  more  agony  through  apprehension  than 
any  specimen  in  his  collection  had  done  in  fact. 

The  dance  now  began.  The  supper  that  fol- 
lowed brought  the  evening  to  a  gay,  if  fatiguing, 
conclusion. 

Ethel  looked  white,  and  coughed  when  Mrs. 
Candace  and  she  went  upstairs  for  the  night,  but 
she  insisted  it  was  only  because  of  the  slight 
dust  in  the  air.  Touching  her  friend's  arm,  she 
said  indignantly, 

"  Did  you  hear  what  Mrs.  Green  said  to 
Portia  the  very  last  thing  ?  " 

"  What  did  she  say  ?  " 

"  When  Portia  remarked  that  she  wondered 
why  her  carriage  was  so  late,  Mrs.  Green  asked 
her  if  she  didn't  mean  her  cab,  and  poor  Portia, 
too  tired  to  think,  smiled  and  said  '  Yes.'  ' 

"  It  was  the  very  best  answer  she  could  give." 

"  I  suppose  so,  but  I  fairly  hated  Mrs.  Green." 


lafcewoofc.  21 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  entomologist  had  spent  the  entire  winter 
at  the  "  Laurel-in-the-Pines."  He  had  not  taken 
the  usual  "  bachelor's  room  "  ;  instead,  he  had  a 
suite  of  three  rooms.  He  was  altogether  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  and  luxurious  guests  at 
Lakewood. 

The  morning  after  Portia's  lecture,  he  felt  in  an 
aimless  frame  of  mind — not  an  unusual  condition 
with  him.  He  had  been  standing  several 
minutes  in  a  brown  study  in  the  smallest  of 
his  three  rooms  before  a  pine  case  filling  an 
entire  side  from  floor  to  ceiling  and  containing  a 
great  variety  of  insects  labelled  and  mounted. 

After  scanning  the  whole  collection  he  sat  down, 
as  if  with  a  final  effort  to  be  interested,  to 
examine  microscopically  an  infinitesimal  organ- 
ism on  a  moss  fern.  He  watched  its  mouth  open 
and  shut,  noted  the  various  contortions  of  its 
antennae,  studied  the  red  spots  on  its  vivid  black 
surface,  and  suddenly  looked  away  absent-mind- 
edly. That  small  creature,  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye,  but  clothed  in  a  garment  of  black  with 
red  spots,  made  him  think  of  Miss  Max.  He 


22  Xabewoot>. 

had  been  thinking  of  her  more  or  less  for  the  last 
twelve  hours  and  he  was  tired  of  it.  Here  she 
was  again  personated  by  an  animalculum. 

Pushing  his  microscope  aside,  he  went  into  his 
parlor.  The  windows  faced  the  front.  He  gazed 
with  a  faint  superciliousness  on  the  scene  below. 

The  wind  and  moisture  of  the  night  before 
had  melted  the  snow.  The  squares  of  lawn  in 
front  of  the  hotel  gave  a  hint  of  returning  spring. 
Here  and  there  was  a  patch  of  green.  The  wide 
avenue  was  already  gay  with  a  party  of  eques- 
trians, and  several  vehicles — a  dog-cart,  a  T-cart 
with  horses  tandem,  and  a  long  three-seated  open 
carriage,  quite  blocked  the  space  between  the 
two  projecting  side  wings.  Across  the  avenue 
soared  the  pines,  and  through  these  he  could  see 
the  lake,  very  blue  and  smooth  this  March 
morning. 

Just  outside  the  main  entrance  sat  a  Hindoo 
cross  legged,  holding  up  with  oriental  humility  to 
all  who  passed,  embroideries,  bits  of  tapestry,  and 
table-covers.  It  seemed  to  the  entomologist  at 
this  moment  that  in  the  way  of  a  vocation  the 
Hindoo  had  him  at  an  advantage. 

He  did  not  exactly  wish  he  were  poor,  and 
there  was  no  use  in  his  wishing  this. 

He  was,  as  he  expressed  himself  occasionally, 
the  victim  of  a  succession  of  entailed  fortunes. 
Whenever  in  a  fit  of  recklessness  or  with  the 


Xahewocto.  23 

spirit  of  a  spendthrift  he  had  sunk  all  at  once 
a  year's  income,  some  relative  had  been  sure  to 
die  and  inflict  him  with  an  additional  twenty 
thousand  a  year. 

Becoming  tired  of  this  experience,  he  had 
learned  to  do  what  most  rich  men  do.  He 
supplied  his  real  and  imaginary  wants  at  market 
values,  and  was  properly  careful  to  pay  neither 
too  much  nor  too  little  for  what  he  got.  He 
prudently  invested  the  yearly  surplus  from  his 
income.  He  grew  steadily  richer.  He  now 
simply  endured  his  wealth  with  stolid  indifference, 
and  if  he  thought  of  it  at  all,  wondered  that  it 
gave  him  such  small  satisfactions. 

He  was  young  still — thirty,  and  had  such  an 
ingenuous,  unworldly  look,  bearing  himself  and 
his  riches  in  such  a  thoroughly  unconceited  way, 
that  all  the  girls  liked  him  and  their  mothers 
adored  him.  But,  although  he  had  an  unsus- 
picious openness  of  manner,  a  way  of  his  own  of 
dressing  that  was  hardly  marked  enough  to  be 
peculiar,  but  seemed  to  stamp  him  as  unobserving 
and  undiscriminating,  he  was  nevertheless  very 
observing,  very  tenacious  of  facts  and  family  his- 
tories, and  could  without  an  effort  have  given  an 
inventory  of  the  guests  at  the  "  Laurel-in-the- 
Pines"  that  would  have  astonished  the  pro- 
prietors. His  general  grasp  of  society  details  was 
exactly  that  of  the  man  of  leisure. 


24  XafeewooO. 

He  came  by  his  knowledge  naturally  and 
creditably  enough.  Everybody  trusted  what  was 
called  his  unworldliness.  People  gossiped  to  him 
with  a  feeling  of  perfect  safety,  for  he  listened, 
asked  an  occasional  question,  but  gave  no  per- 
sonal information  in  return.  He  was  called  such 
a  good  young  man.  He  was  truly  clever.  He 
possessed  a  stock  of  latent  force,  but,  as  an 
American,  was  unfortunate  in  feeling  no  spur  for 
its  development.  "  A  man  of  leisure  "  is  still  a 
misnomer  in  this  democratic  land  ;  the  few  who 
study  or  rather  work  desperately  to  be  men  of 
leisure — "  society  men,"  as  they  are  sometimes 
inappropriately  termed — are  miserable  failures  in 
a  country  where  a  man  has  to  be  first  and  last  a 
wage-earner. 

But  Bryan  Mallory  slipped  between  the  planes 
of  flattery  and  censure  because  he  was  unegotist- 
ical.  It  really  requires  almost  superhuman  im- 
pudence to  talk  to  an  unegotistical  person  about 
himself,  and  as  he  is  usually  willing  to  humor 
this  weakness  in  another,  he  is  defined  as  sym- 
pathetic or  appreciative. 

He  sincerely  wished  he  knew  why  he  was  un- 
able to  care  vividly  about  people.  He  longed 
for  sensations.  His  bugs  and  beetles,  his  larvae 
and  worms,  were  the  resort  of  desperation.  In 
studying  them,  he  was  in  a  world  quite  his  own, 
for  he  was  perfectly  sure  that  the  subject  was 


Utafcewoofc.  25 

one  nobody  cared  to  discuss  with  him.  He  had 
long  ago  found  out  that  if  he  wanted  to  get  rid  of 
a  guest  he  had  simply  to  mention  entomology  or 
adjust  his  microscope. 

His  collection  kept  increasing,  and  at  the  rate 
it  was  proceeding,  he  was  afraid  it  would  enlarge 
into  a  museum.  He  had  therefore  begun  to 
study  the  history  and  equipment  of  institutions, 
in  order  to  discover  which  one  would  be  kind 
enough  to  receive  his  specimens. 

On  this  particular  morning  he  wondered  what 
subject  he  should  take  up  after  entomology. 

Although  his  knowledge  in  the  specialties  he 
had  pursued  was  not  extensive,  yet  the  yearly 
accretions  gave  him  a  convenient  and  varied 
intelligence  which  sometimes  cropped  out  in  a 
rather  surprising  way  in  casual  conversation. 

There  were  a  half  dozen  cottages  where  he 
visited  familiarly.  He  had  numerous  acquaint- 
ances coming  and  going  at  the  hotels.  He  went 
often  to  the  "  Lakewood  "  to  see  a  family  of  Jews 
whom  he  liked  on  the  whole  better  than  anyone 
he  had  met  in  a  year.  The  latch-string  was 
always  open  to  him  at  Mrs.  Darlington's.  She 
occupied  an  isolated  cottage,  flanked  front  and 
rear  by  pines,  a  small  natural  clearing  all  around 
it  which  was  oftener  than  not  utilized  and  en- 
joyed by  a  colony  of  chickens  and  a  huge 
St.  Bernard.  Bryan  liked  Mrs.  Darlington,  he 


26  XafcewooO. 

lazily  admired  Mrs.  Candace  ;  Ethel  slightly 
amused  him.  She  had  a  touch  of  the  New  Eng- 
land vulgarity,  euphemistically  styled  shrewd- 
ness, but  which  in  Europe  would  be  called  He- 
braism, and  he  studied  her  somewhat  as  he  would 
a  beetle.  He  had  not  quite  classified  her.  But 
Portia ! 

For  twelve  hours  he  had  thought  of  Portia, — 
and,  although  he  was  really  honest  in  wishing  to 
be  interested  in  some  one  or  something,  he  was 
surprised  and  vexed  because  his  indolent  habit 
of  mind  had  been  invaded  abruptly. 

In  philosophizing  on  an  ardent  interest,  if  one 
ever  did  come,  he  had  fancied  himself  walking  up 
to  it,  examining  it,  holding  out  a  flag  of  truce,  if 
he  thought  best,  while  dictating  all  the  terms. 
But  here  he  was  overtaken,  told  to  surrender  arms, 
and  given  no  terms  of  capitulation.  It  was  an 
exceedingly  odd  situation  for  him,  and,  reason- 
able or  not  according  to  his  theories,  he  meant  to 
show  fight.  Women  were  admirable.  He  had 
always  said  so,  and  he  meant  what  he  said.  But 
a  woman,  an  individual  one,  a  world  epitomized, 
a  sun  to  which  he  was  a  revolving  moon  ! 

He  went  back  to  his  microscope.  He  put  a 
second  moss  fern  under  it.  Doubtless  another 
minute  creature  would  appear — different — no, 
there  was  a  duplicate  little  being,  spotted  red  on 
a  black  ground. 


Xahewoofc.  27 

He  laughed  aloud. 

He  would  go  and  call  on  Mrs.  Darlington. 

He  struck  into  a  path  back  of  the  hotel,  leading 
by  a  short  cut  to  the  slight  rise  of  ground  on 
which  stood  the  Darlington  cottage.  Very  few 
went  this  way,  and  he  anticipated  a  solitary 
walk. 

There  was  a  warm,  steady  wind  blowing.  It 
rocked  the  tops  of  the  pines.  The  fallen  needles, 
saturated  with  moisture  and  packed  by  winter 
frosts,  made  a  soft  carpet,  while  here  and  there 
the  yellow  sand  cropping  out  golden  in  the  bril- 
liant sunshine  gave  a  weird  and  premature  cheer- 
fulness to  the  monotonous  landscape.  There  was 
a  barely  perceptible  piney  fragrance  in  sunny 
spots.  An  occasional  wintergreen  cluster  with 
its  low-lying  berries  suggested  returning  spring. 

It  was  a  bright,  gentle  day  with  the  half  sad, 
half  joyful  presence  of  the  spring  in  its  hours. 

Bryan  speedily  recovered  his  good-humor,  even 
losing  resistance  to  Portia's  persistent  image.  He 
had  gone  half  a  mile,  idly  switching  the  under- 
brush with  his  cane  or  stopping  to  listen  to  the 
mercenary  arguments  of  the  sparrows — when, 
suddenly,  sitting  on  a  log  and  facing  an  amphithe- 
atrical  opening  in  the  woods,  he  saw  Miss  Max. 

The  spot  was  sheltered.  The  sunshine  fell 
athwart  her  figure,  and,  early  in  the  season  though 
it  was,  she  looked  snug  and  warm.  A  book  lay 


28  Zafcewoofc. 

in  her  lap,  open  and  face  downwards,  but  her 
eyes  were  slightly  lifted,  and  a  pleased,  dreamy 
expression  showing  in  her  pose  and  features  made 
her  appear  companioned  by  sweet  thoughts. 

The  black  dress  with  the  red  spots  vanished,  to 
be  replaced  by  a  brown  one,  closely  fitting,  above 
which  appeared  a  pair  of  shoulders  encased  in  a 
very  much  worn  fur  cape  and  surmounting  this 
a  face  shaded  by  a  broad-brimmed  hat. 

She  was  sincerely  glad  to  see  him.  She  re- 
membered how  kind  he  looked  the  night  before — 
and  then  she  knew  all  the  good  things  everybody 
said  of  him.  She  did  not  think  he  would  stop, 
but  she  held  herself  ready  to  bow  when  he  drew 
near  enough.  This  she  did. 

Instead  of  going  straight  on  to  the  Darlington 
cottage,  as  he  had  intended  when  he  first  saw  her, 
he  paused  to  make  a  few  remarks  while  dallying 
with  his  cane.  He  asked  if  he  would  disturb 
her  by  sharing  her  log  a  few  minutes. 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  and  she  moved  a  little,  as  if 
to  make  more  room. 

"  I  come  here  nearly  every  day,"  she  said  ingen- 
uously. "  Nobody  else  seems  to  have  found  out 
the  spot,  and  I  like  it.  It  is  so  hard  to  get  away 
from  crowds  in  Lakewood." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  am  too  gregarious  to  be 
oppressed  in  that  way.  Still,  one  has  a  choice." 

"Yes,  but  oftener  than  not  we  all  choose  those 


Xaftewoofc.  29 

we  can't  enjoy.  I  mean  they  are  appropriated  by 
others." 

"  I  dare  say  the  appropriation  makes  half  the 
value.  Don't  you  think  so?  " 

She  shook  her  head  decidedly,  declaring  that 
she  knew  every  time  exactly  what  she  liked  in 
people. 

"  Don't  you  ever  dread  the  trouble  of  a  new 
friendship — even  of  an  acquaintance?  " 

"  The  trouble  !  "  She  looked  at  him  in  amaze- 
ment. "  No,  no  indeed.  That  kind  of  trouble  is 
a  luxury.  No,  I  can  never  like  too  many,  but  I 
have  preferences,  of  course.  This  is  disagreeable 
for  others  sometimes,  for  a  sensitive  person  feels 
keenly  when  he  is  disliked." 

"  It  would  be  better  for  you  not  to  try  to  be  in 
such  a  positive  state  of  mind  towards  particular 
individuals.  It  isn't  worth  your  while." 

"  I  do  not  try.     I  am." 

He  looked  at  her  with  curiosity.  If  Lakewood 
were  deserted  the  next  hour  by  its  nomadic 
population,  he  knew  he  would  not  feel  a  pang. 
If  it  became  plethoric  with  charming  people,  he 
would  only  be  lazily  interested. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  he  inquired,  "  that  you 
are  all  the  time  meeting  people  in  a  place  like 
this  for  whom  you  form  attachments  ?  " 

4<  Yes,  I  do,  real  or  imaginary." 

"  I   can't  understand  it.     I  like  to  see  people, 


3o  Xafcewoofc. 

to  watch  them,  to  know  their  histories,  just  as  I 
like  to  read  books.  But  I  would  never  take  the 
trouble  to  collect  a  library." 

"  O,  wouldn't  you  !  "  said  Portia  in  dismay. 
"  Why,  if  I  could,  I  would  own  every  single  book 
I  ever  read.  They  are  so  human." 

"  People  are  so  bookish  to  me.  I  read  them 
through,  and  there  is  an  end  of  them.  I  should 
think  though  it  might  be  very  nice  to  feel  these 
numerous  warm  interests  in  humanity."  He 
looked  kindly  at  her. 

She  did  not  know  whether  he  were  making  fun 
of  her  or  not.  She  did  not  really  care,  but  she 
thought  if  she  were  better  acquainted  with  him 
she  might  have  a  positive  liking  for  him. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  as  if  it  were  the  conclusion, 
"  I  hope  you  and  I  shall  at  least  keep  on  speaking 
terms.  Don't  try  to  ever  read  more  than  my 
preface." 

"  I  hope  you  are  a  book  in  many  volumes." 

"  I  shall  always  have  the  last  one  missing,"  she 
said,  gaily. 

He  rose. 

She  sat  still. 

He  looked  around  as  if  trying  to  find  something 
else  to  say.  All  he  did  say  was  "  Good-morning," 
and,  tipping  his  hat,  he  passed  on. 

Portia  resumed  her  book. 


Zafcewoofc.  31 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  PAPA  has  decided  you  must  spend  the  spring 
at  Lakewood,  Millicent." 

"  Yes,  mamma  ?  " 

"Yes.  He  made  up  his  mind  this  morning.  I 
can't  go  with  you.  I  wish  I  could,  but  I  have  to 
stay  with  Papa.  I  am  sure  though  we  can 
arrange  with  Miss  Beadle  to  chaperon  you." 

"  She  is  so  tiresome  !  " 

"  I  never  find  her  tiresome.  I  think  her  a  very 
self-effacing,  entertaining  woman." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  don't  like.  Can't  you 
think  of  some  one  else  ?  Somebody  who  would 
make  an  incident  of  me  instead  of  an  exclamation 
point  ?  " 

"  You  are  very  ungenerous  to  Miss  Beadle.  I 
don't  know  her  equal  for  this  sort  of  thing.  She 
is  careful  and  unobtrusive,  not  too  good-looking 
and  not  too  poor." 

"  Let  it  be  Miss  Beadle,  then.  What  is  the 
occasion  of  this  sudden  plan  ?  " 

Mrs.  Kent  looked  up  with  momentary  irresolu- 
tion. It  was  difficult  to  assure  Millicent  in  the 
face  of  her  perfect  health  that  she  needed  a 
change.  Perhaps  it  would  be  best  to  say  it  was  a 


32  Xaftewoo&. 

matter  of  convenience,  which  was  at  least  half  the 
truth. 

"  Papa  is  always  sudden  '  about  everything, 
daughter."  She  invariably  called  her  husband 
"  Papa  "  when  talking  to  Millicent. 

"  He  usually  has  his  reasons." 

The  older  lady  was  embroidering  a  "  centre- 
piece." She  drew  several  stitches  in  silence. 
Finally  she  looked  up. 

"  Papa  may  have  to  go  to  England  at  any 
moment.  If  he  does,  he  wants  me  to  accompany 
him.  We  can  shut  up  the  house  as  soon  as  Lent 
begins.  Papa  and  I  can  go  to  the  '  Buckingham.' 
You  can  spend  the  time  till  Easter  at  Lakewood. 
Then  we'll  all  come  together  at  the  hotel  again 
till  it  is  time  to  open  the  Tuxedo  house.  Papa 
usually  plans  wisely  and  kindly  for  every  one  con- 
cerned, don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly  ; — only  I  wish  I  were  going  to 
England  too  !  "  And  Millicent  threw  up  her  arms 
and  yawned. 

"  I  proposed  taking  you  with  us,  but  Papa  said 
'  No  ! '  And  when  he  says  '  No  '  that  is  the  end 
of  it." 

She  glanced  at  Millicent  as  if  she  had  been 
pronouncing  a  eulogy  on  her  husband.  She  was 
a  small,  compact,  amiable  looking  woman  with  a 
childlike  face,  who  evidently  liked  nothing  better 
than  leading-strings  for  life. 


XafcewooD.  33 

Millicent  gazed  at  her  mother  rather  absent- 
mindedly.  She  was  mentally  projecting  the  next 
six  weeks  on  the  basis  of  previous  experiences.  Ap- 
parently the  daughter  possessed  Mrs.  Kent's  amia- 
bility and  to  a  certain  extent  her  ready  acquies- 
cence. But  it  was  plain  also  that  she  was  a  girl 
of  moods,  and  with  a  passionate,  romantic  tempera- 
ment. This  was  evident  in  the  sparkle  and  expan- 
sion of  her  hazel-gray  eyes,  in  the  wave  of  her  abun- 
dant glossy  hair  and  in  the  ebb  and  flow  of  a  fine 
color.  She  had  been  like  a  piece  of  driftwood  thus 
far  in  her  life,  and  a  good  many  queer  barnacles  of 
prejudice  as  well  as  of  cosmopolitanism  clung  to 
her,  giving  her  an  originality  due  to  circumstances 
rather  than  natural  gifts.  She  spoke  a  curious 
but  pretty  form  of  her  mother  tongue.  Her 
accent  was  English,  her  vowel  sounds  Bostonian, 
and  her  consonants  and  final  syllables  had  the 
finished  elegance  of  the  best  New  York  speech. 
She  had  a  delightful,  mellow,  sympathetic  voice, 
so  that  her  most  trivial  commonplaces  found 
listeners. 

There  was  something  big,  even  to  heartiness,  in 
her  atmosphere,  but  she  gave  no  impression  of 
coarseness,  much  less  of  vulgarity.  She  dressed 
well,  carried  herself  with  dignity,  was  slightly 
educated,  though  speaking  several  languages  with 
courier  flexibility.  She  went  weekly  to  the  Berkley 
Lyceum  to  keep  in  tone  the  splendid  health  and 
3 


34  Xaftewood. 

development  she  already  possessed,  attended  the 
symphonies  to  cultivate  her  taste,  was  devoted  to 
Wagner,  loved  dancing,  was  a  rigid  high-church 
woman,  shook  hands  perpendicularly,  thoroughly 
believed  in  the  classes,  knew  little  and  cared 
nothing  about  the  masses,  had  read  no  French 
novels,  not  many  American  ones,  and  was  well 
versed  in  English  and  French  History,  while 
totally  ignorant  of  American  History.  Her  first 
winter  in  society  was  drawing  to  a  close  and  she 
had  found  its  pleasures  neither  a  delusion  nor  a 
snare.  She  intended  to  observe  Lent  rigidly, 
although  she  was  sorry  it  came  so  early.  But, 
since  she  was  on  the  verge  of  Lent,  Lake- 
wood  was  on  the  whole  as  good  a  place  as 
any  for  devotion  and  fashionable  recupera- 
tion. 

So,  greatly  to  her  mother's  relief,  she  did  not 
oppose  the  plan. 

A  few  days  later  and  the  city  house  was  as  au- 
stere and  dark  as  a  vault.  The  numerous  portraits 
and  paintings  were  covered,  the  elaborate  por- 
tieres were  encased  in  camphorated  bags,  the 
carpets  were  overlaid  with  linen  druggets,  the 
mattresses  were  stored  together  in  one  room,  the 
silver  and  costly  ornaments  were  carried  to  the 
safety  deposit  warehouse,  the  servants  were  sent 
to  board  in  the  country  on  half  wages  and  the 
gas  and  steam  companies  given  notice,  the  burglar 


XaftewooO. 


35 


alarms  all  reset,  the  water  turned  off  from  the 
upper  floors,  the  front  entrance  barricaded  with 
a  wooden  door,  the  railings  of  the  front  stoop 
sheathed,  and  the  letter  carriers  given  the  change 
of  address  to  deposit  at  the  nearest  Post  Office 
Station. 

When  everything  was  declared  finished,  Mrs. 
Kent  went  to  bed  at  her  hotel  and  stayed  two 
weeks,  her  doctor  pronouncing  the  malady  nerv- 
ous prostration. 

Millicent  remained  with  her  a  few  days  and 
bloomed  out  brighter  and  brighter.  She  led  a 
quiet  life.  She  took  breakfast  and  lunch  with  her 
mother  in  their  private  parlor.  She  went  to 
church  twice  daily — in  the  morning  to  "  St.  Mary 
the  Virgin  "  and  in  the  afternoon  to  "  St.  Thomas." 
As  "  St.  Mary's  "  was  rather  far  across  town,  she 
went  there  accompanied  by  her  mother's  maid  ; 
as  "  St.  Thomas "  was  very  near  and  on  the 
avenue,  she  was  permitted  to  attend  afternoon 
service  alone. 

She  was  getting  much  good  out  of  Lent.  She 
made  splendid  resolutions  for  the  coming  year 
which  she  intended  to  keep.  She  repeated  the 
Litany  with  great  fervor,  and  no  one  could 
have  been  more  sincere  or  more  humble  for 
the  time  being  than  Millicent  was  when  she  said 
in  her  steady,  musical  voice — "  God,  have  mercy 
on  us,  miserable  sinners."  No  one  ejaculated 


36  lafcewooD. 

with  more  reverential  emphasis  than  she — "  And 
incline  our  hearts  to  keep  this  law." 

Thus  far  she  had  found  being  a  miserable  sinner 
comfortable  and  aesthetic  ;  she  had  never  become 
painfully  conscious  of  penalties  either  divine  or 
human  for  laws  or  duties  shirked. 

On  the  last  day  of  February,  when  she  came 
out  of  St.  Thomas,  one  of  innumerable  other 
women,  a  soft  light  in  her  eyes  and  a  flush  on  her 
cheeks,  she  was  feeling  thankful  that  serving  God 
was  so  spontaneous  and  easy  a  task. 

Hers  was  not  the  only  pair  of  sweet,  youthful 
eyes  that  included  the  avenue  North  and  South, 
and  hers  was  not  the  only  girlish  mouth  quivering 
with  smiles  and  recognition  at  once.  At  least 
twenty  maidens  met  accidentally  twenty  young 
men  happening  there  from  down  town  by  the 
merest  chance  just  as  the  service  ended. 

Perth  Edwards  tipped  his  hat  with  a  faint 
effort  at  surprise  to  Millicent,  asking  if  he  might 
walk  with  her  as  far  as  her  hotel.  She  bowed  a 
constrained,  delighted  consent,  and  then  asked 
the  question  she  had  now  put  several  afternoons 
in  succession  : 

"  How  did  you  happen  to  get  up  town  so 
early?" 

It  was  such  a  little  bit  of  a  short  walk,  al- 
though they  covered  the  blocks  as  deliberately  as 
possible.  One  afternoon  they  had  stopped  at  the 


XahewooO.  37 

Cathedral  and  sat  a  long  time  under  the  shadow 
of  a  cluster  of  pillars,  listening  to  the  music. 
Perth  took  Millicent's  hand.  She  looked  at  him 
reproachfully  but  did  not  withdraw  it. 

This  one  week  of  Lent,  with  Mrs.  Kent  shut 
up  in  her  room,  made  precisely  the  prelude  to  the 
Lakewood  sojourn  which  "  Papa "  would  have 
supremely  deprecated,  had  he  known  it. 

On  the  sixth  afternoon  of  undisturbed  delight, 
Millicent  with  her  escort  came  face  to  face  with 
Miss  Beadle  who  was  crossing  the  avenue  in  front 
of  the  "  Buckingham."  She  bowed  graciously 
and  presently  disappeared  in  the  Fifth  Avenue 
entrance.  The  young  people  went  to  the  side 
one.  A  shadow  heavier  than  the  frowning  one  of 
the  Cathedral  settled  upon  them. 

"  It  is  the  end  of  our  good  times,  I  suppose," 
said  Edwards,  bitterly. 

Millicent  drew  herself  up  a  little  haughtily. 
She  did  not  enjoy  the  implication  of  unconven- 
tionality. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  she  asked,  a  cool 
glance  in  her  clear  eyes. 

"  Why,  Miss  Beadle,  of  course !  " 

"  It  makes  no  difference  to  me  if  Miss  Beadle 
saw  us." 

He  balanced  his  cane  irresolutely. 

"  O,  come  now,  Millicent !  "  he  expostulated. 

They  both  laughed. 


38  laftewooD. 

"  Good-bye,"  she  said,  a  minute  later,  her  hand 
pressed  against  the  storm-door. 

"  Good-bye.  O,  by  the  way,  do  you  know 
where  you  are  going  to  stop  yet  ?" 

She  nodded. — "  The  Lakewood."  Then  she 
disappeared. 

"  Papa,"  said  Mrs.  Kent  that  night,  after  Milli- 
cent  had  gone  to  her  own  room,  "  how  soon  are 
you  going  to  run  down  to  Lakewood  with 
daughter?" 

"  O,  almost  any  day.  I  don't  feel  in  a  hurry. 
She  seems  well  enough  off  here." 

Mrs.  Kent  looked  as  if  she  would  like  to  differ, 
if  he  approved. 

He  knew  that  something  very  serious  indeed 
stirred  in  her  mind  when  her  views  did  not 
immediately  take  the  coloring  of  his. 

"  You  want  to  say  something,  Mamma.  Out 
with  it ! " 

When  Jupiter  thus  nodded,  the  vials  of  Mrs. 
Kent's  eloquence  opened. 

"  It  is  just  here,  Papa,  dear.  Miss  Beadle 
called  to-day.  She  is  ready  to  start  at  a  minute's 
notice — and  she  saw  Millicent  and  Perth  Edwards 
walking  down  the  avenue  this  afternoon." 

"  What  was  Millicent  doing  out  alone  ?  " 

"  She  coaxed  so  to  go  to  afternoon  service  by 
herself — and  it  was  so  near  that  I  consented." 

"  I  gave  you    credit  for   more    sence,  Mamma. 


XafcewocO.  39 

Girls  of  Millicent's  age  are  silly.  If  they  weren't 
they  wouldn't  be  half  as  interesting,  either. 
Perth  Edwards  is  all  well  enough,  but  he  needn't 
make  advances  to  my  girl.  The  Edwards,  the 
whole  set,  with  their  fallen  fortunes,  are  an  ambi- 
tious lot — and  so  are  the  Kents  !  " 

"  1  never  heard  a  word  against  Perth." 

"  He's  poor! " 

Mr.  Kent  got  up  and  walked  the  floor. 

"  To  morrow's  Sunday,  isn't  it.  Do  you  think, 
as  it  is  an  emergency,  you  could  go  to  church 
twice  to-morrow  ?  Millicent  must  not  suspect  we 
are  thwarting  her.  She  isn't  made  in  the  same 
mold  as  you,  Mamma.  I  wish  she  were  !  " 

Mrs.  Kent  looked  up  fondly.  Her  weak,  affec- 
tionate lips  worked  in  a  gratified  smile  over  even 
but  prominent  teeth. 

"  No,  Millicent  is  not  like  me  !  "  and  she  rocked 
back  and  forth,  complacently  examining  her 
jewelled  fingers.  "  She  needs  a  strong  man  like 
you,  Papa,  back  of  her,  every  single  time." 

"  And  she'll  have  it,  if  I  can  manage  it.  I'll 
take  her  down  Monday,  on  the  3.45  train.  I'll 
tell  her  myself  to-morrow  when  I  get  ready. 
Don't  you  say  a  word." 

Mrs.  Kent  rocked  acquiescently  and  in  silence 
for  a  few  minutes.  Presently  she  looked  up. 

"  What  if  he  should  take  a  notion  to  go  down 
there  and  see  her  ?  " 


40  TLahewooD. 

"  Edwards  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  O,  he  won't  do  that.  He  can't  afford  it.  By 
the  way,  did  you  know  Mallory  was  wintering  at 
the  '  Laurel-in-the-Pines '  ?  " 

"  Really  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  is.  I  was  wondering  down  town  to- 
day what  had  become  of  him — thought  he  must 
be  in  Europe.  But  Baldwin  says  he's  cutting  a 
great  swell  down  there.  Horses — two  or  three 
traps — suite  of  rooms — private  dinners.  He 
dined  the  ex-president  and  his  wife  this  week, 
Baldwin  tells  me." 

"Indeed!" 

"  Yes,  a  very  select  company  and  an  elegant 
dinner.  How  Baldwin  finds  out  so  much,  I  can't 
tell.  He  seems  to  be  about  correct  every  single 
time.  Mrs.  Candace  is  back.  She  came  on  the 
Teutonic  a  fortnight  ago.  She's  visiting  at  the 
Graces.  The  Graces  and  she  were  at  that  dinner. 
— And  who  else  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  can't  tell  you,  Papa." 

He  stepped  in  front  of  his  wife,  folding  his 
arms  dramatically  across  his  breast. 

"  Portia  Max.  Little  Portia  Max  !  Mrs.  Dar- 
lington has  taken  her  up  and  several  other  ladies. 
She  seems  to  have  popped  out  of  obscurity  like  a 
bomb." 

"  She'll  have  to  go  back  to  it,  poor  thing,  just 


Xafcewoofc.  41 

as  suddenly.  Portia  was  always  famous  for  giving 
surprises." 

"  Queer,  any  way,  about  that  fortune  of  hers. 
I  feel  awfully  sorry  for  her." 

"  The  Maxes  had  the  upper  hand  a  long  time." 

"  It's  too  bad  the  change  all  fell  on  Portia." 

"  I  don't  think  she  minds  it." 

"  Don't  you  believe  it.  Don't  you  believe  it. 
It  stings  a  girl  like  that  night  and  day.  She  has 
the  Max  will.  Those  Maxes  always  carried 
everything  off  serenely." 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  room  for  a  few 
turns  in  silence. 

"  There  is  a  very  good  society  down  there,  you 
see.  I'd  like  it  first-rate  if  our  girl  got  into  the 
swim." 

"  Miss  Beadle  knows  no  end  of  people  and  is  a 
tireless  manager." 

"  She  won't  count  for  a  particle  more  than 
a  chaperon.  If  the  Ortons  had  carried  out  their 
first  plan,  Millicent  would  be  all  right.  They 
are  going  South,  however.  Don't  you  know 
anybody  down  there,  Mamma?  I  should  think 
out  of  your  large  visiting-list  you  could  find 
a  lady  or  two  who  might  be  useful." 

"  I  know  the  Graces.  Mrs.  Grace  is  very  airy 
though.  I  wouldn't  like  to  make  an  advance  and 
be  snubbed." 

"  I'd  run  the  risk  this  time." 


42  Xaftewoofc. 

"  Very  well,  Papa,  if  you  think  best." 
It  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  conversation 
that  although  the  Kents  had  ambitions  for  Milli- 
cent,  their  social  position  was  not  so  clearly  defined 
as  their  wealth.  They  had  brought  their  only 
daughter  up  with  great  care.  They  had  intro- 
duced her  in  December  with  a  reception,  follow- 
ing this  with  a  series  of  dinner  dances  and  a 
succession  of  theatre  and  opera  parties.  She  had 
gone  out  constantly,  met  a  great  many  men,  and 
as  far  as  her  own  view  of  the  winter  was  con- 
cerned, had  had  a  very  satisfactory  season.  The 
truth  remained,  however,  that  she  kept  just  on  the 
edge  of  the  circle  her  parents  were  eager  to  have 
her  enter  and  towards  which  she  herself  had 
aspirations. 

Throughout  the  winter  she  had  seen  a  great 
deal  of  young  Edwards.  He  had  been  much  at 
the  house.  He  had  even  been  of  service  in  intro- 
ducing other  fellows,  one  or  two  of  them  men 
whose  acquaintance  flattered  Mrs.  Kent.  But 
the  end  of  the  season  had  come,  and  Millicent  was 
not  advantageously  engaged.  Her  observing 
parents  realized  that  she  must  be  withdrawn  from 
action  and  prepared  for  the  summer  gaieties 
by  a  long  rest.  They  had  selected  Lakewood  as 
a  place  where  she  could  at  least  be  seen  to  ad- 
vantage, talked  about  enough  to  keep  her  name 
in  print  and  in  current  society  gossip — and,  what 


Xaftewoofc. 


43 


was  also  of  necessity,  taken  off  their  hands  for  a 
short  period  while  they  went  over  to  London  to 
determine  on  the  advisability  of  renting  a  house 
there  for  the  season. 

Mrs.  Kent  had  met  Mrs.  Grace  at  dinners  twice, 
and  had  entertained  her  at  lunch  once.  All  the 
advances  had  been  made  on  her  side,  however, 
and  she  shrank  from  making  another. — "  Still,  if 
Papa  said  to  do  it,  it  was  doubtless  the  most  ex- 
pedient step  to  take." 

She  wrote  the  letter  on  her  best  Tiffany  paper, 
to  the  effect  that  her  health  called  her  to  England 
for  a  few  weeks  and  her  darling  daughter  must  in 
consequence  be  deprived  of  a  mother's  care  in  the 
interval.  She  ventured  to  avail  herself  of  her 
delightful  acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Grace  to  beg 
that  lady  to  call  on  Millicent,  if  undoubtedly 
numerous  engagements  would  permit,  although 
she  felt  she  was  taking  a  liberty  she  would 
hardly  dare  assume  if  dear  Millicent  were  not 
such  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  Mrs.  Grace, 
etc. 

When  the  note  was  finished,  Mr.  Kent  glanced 
it  over. 

"  That'll  do,  I  guess,"  he  said  approvingly. 
"  Don't  you  think  you  could  write  another  to 
Mrs.  Candace  ?  " 

She  looked  up  frightened.  "  I  wouldn't  dare. 
If  Mrs.  Grace  does  the  kind  thing,  Millicent  will 


44  Zafcewoofc. 

be  sure  to  meet  Mrs.  Candace.  I  wish  she  could 
make  an  impression  there." 

"  What  if  Mallory  should  fancy  Mrs.  Candace." 

"  Mallory  !  He  won't.  He'll  never  fancy  any- 
body. They  say  he  is  absolutely  indifferent  to 
women." 

"  Now  I  have  heard  he  is  a  great  admirer  of 
them." 

"  O,  in  a  general  way.  Mrs.  Candace  likes  men 
too — but  so  impersonally.  Everybody  says  she 
will  never  marry  again." 

They  talked  for  some  time  in  the  familiar  way 
people  do  of  those  whose  wealth,  position  or 
fame  makes  them  interesting.  And  yet  neither  of 
them  knew  Bryan  Mallory  except  by  sight.  Mrs. 
Kent  had  served  one  winter  on  a  charity  com- 
mittee with  Mrs.  Candace,  but  that  was  five  years 
ago  ;  she  had  gotten  no  further  in  conversation 
with  her  associate  than  the  purpose  of  their  com- 
mittee required. 

"  Well,  we  have  done  all  we  can." 

"  I  am  sure  we  have,  Papa.  Any  way,  I  am 
too  sleepy  and  tired  to  think  further  about  the 
matter  now." 

"  Give  me  your  letter,  and  I  will  leave  it  at  the 
office  as  I  go  down.  I  promised  Baldwin  to  have 
a  smoke  with  him  and  talk  over  the  stock  of  the 
'  Alaska  preferred.'  Go  to  bed,  Mamma,  for  I  may 
be  late." 


XafcewooD. 


45 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  following  evening,  Millicent  dined  alone 
with  her  father. 

He  was  a  handsome  man  and  carried  his  good 
looks  with  equanimity  although  not  with  elegance. 
He  had  blue  eyes,  with  the  violet  tinge  of  a  girl's 
when  he  was  pleased  ;  but  they  were  steely  and 
cold  ordinarily.  His  hair  was  abundant,  black  and 
slightly  wavy,  and  his  mutton-chop  whiskers  of 
the  same  color  were  so  thick,  coarse  and  bristling 
that  they  looked  as  if  rooted  in  the  bone. 

His  blue  necktie  with  its  single  diamond  in- 
creased the  excellence  of  his  complexion  and  his 
aspect  of  sunny  middle-age. 

He  was  of  good,  middle-class  stock.  He  had 
fought  his  way  year  by  year  down  town,  was  re- 
spected for  his  shrewdness,  watched  closely  for 
duplicity  in  business,  which  had  at  least  never 
been  discovered,  had  lately  been  conspicuous  in 
charities,  owned  a  noticeable  house  in  the  sixties, 
supported  a  missionary  in  Burmah,  and  a  school 
in  South  America :  he  was  all  in  all  a  fair  repre- 
sentative of  a  successful  money-making  man  of 
the  Metropolis  who  gathers  in  thousands  with  his 


46  lahewoofc. 

right  hand  and  distributes  hundreds  with  his  left 
without  too  much  show  and  with  sufficient  pub- 
licity to  keep  himself  talked  about  and  with  fav- 
orable comments  uppermost. 

He  loved  his  wife,  or  rather  he  loved  the  per- 
fect feminine  expression  of  his  own  will  in  Mrs. 
Kent.  Millicent  he  feared  while  very  fond  of 
her.  He  was  not  afraid  of  asserting  his  authority 
over  her,  but  he  was  uncertain  as  to  how  she 
would  act  if  it  became  necessary  to  coerce  her. 
Such  a  condition  of  affairs  had  never  hitherto 
presented  itself,  and  this  Sunday  evening  as  he 
walked  into  the  big,  quiet,  richly-appointed  and 
brilliantly  lighted  dining-hall,  he  was  proud  and 
happy  as  the  father  of  such  a  fine-looking  girl. 

They  were  a  noticeable  couple  as  they  sat 
down  and  especially  this  evening,  when,  as  some- 
times happens  in  such  a  well-ordered,  exclusive 
atmosphere  as  that  of  the  "  Buckingham,"  waves 
of  human  ugliness  or  commonplaceness  filled  the 
most  conspicuous  places. 

There  were  one  or  two  exceptions,  and  these 
the  young  girl  at  once  noticed. 

There  was  a  large  round  table  occupied  by  a 
Turkish  family  whose  fine  manners  and  unusual- 
ness  she  found  most  interesting.  At  another 
table  a  family  of  six  were  seated.  All  were 
squat  and  homely,  but  overflowing  with  pretty, 
admiring  attentions  to  one  another.  There  was 


lafeewoofc.  47 

a  table  at  which  two  men  sat.  Their  faces  were 
mottled  with  red  spots,  their  noses  swollen,  their 
eyes  bleared,  vigilant  and  aged.  Evidently  their 
holiday  and  their  good-living  had  come  too  late 
to  be  enjoyed.  A  monstrously  fat  woman 
entered,  convoyed  by  four  tall,  cadaverous,  anx- 
ious-looking men,  grave  to  melancholy,  and  each 
attentive  to  see  that  she  should  be  well  seated. 

Millicent  thought  of  the  queens  of  a  tribe  of 
African  savages  whose  value  and  fame  for  beauty 
increased  in  direct  proportion  to  their  size. 

She  however  forgot  everybody  else  in  watching 
a  trio  momentarily  filling  the  main  entrance,  for 
they  carried  themselves  with  that  superabundant 
self-assertion  once  typically  American,  but  now 
almost  obsolete  in  such  hotels  as  the  "  Bucking- 
ham." 

The  group  comprised  an  elderly  woman,  her 
daughter,  and  a  young  man.  They  stood  a 
little  behind  one  another  in  the  order  mentioned. 
They  had  a  long  discussion  with  the  head-waiter. 
There  was  a  pantomime  in  which  the  vacant  tables 
were  viewed,  and  a  serious  conference  then  follow- 
ed as  to  the  particular  eligibility  of  each.  Gradually 
the  younger  woman  stepped  in  advance  of  the 
others,  adjusted  two  long-stemmed,  deep-red  roses 
on  her  bodice  and  made  what  she  evidently 
regarded  as  an  elaborate  and  formal  entrance. 
The  others  followed. 


48  Xaftewoofc. 

The  ladies  had  dressed  for  dinner,  and  in  this 
respect  alone  presented  a  marked  contrast  to  the 
other  women  present,  who,  while  well  clad,  wore 
unobtrusive  gowns.  Everything  about  everybody 
else  in  the  rich,  noiseless,  quietly-appointed  room 
was  calculated  to  avoid  notice  ;  but  it  was  other- 
wise with  this  trio.  Their  appearance  afforded 
the  idea  that  the  "  Buckingham  "  had  personified 
itself  and  was  now  about  to  entertain  them  at  a 
state  dinner. 

They  took  a  table  next  to  that  of  the  Kents. 

Millicent  heard  the  young  man  call  the  older 
lady  Mrs.  Lorrieve.  Presently  she  heard  the 
younger  woman  say  mamma  with  the  accent  very 
much  on  the  last  syllable.  She  did  not  know 
why  she  should  be  so  surprised  not  to  hear  "  Ma," 
instead. 

Mrs.  Lorrieve  wore  a  black  velvet  gown,  the 
bodice  of  which  was  much  trimmed  with  white  lace. 
The  lace  fell  away  also  in  ample  fulness  from  her 
fat,  wrinkled  fingers  stiff  with  gems.  Her  face 
was  animated  by  an  odd  mixture  of  cunning,  good- 
nature, vanity  and  generosity.  Her  composure, 
though  admirable,  was  plebeian. 

The  younger  people,  who  had  kindly,  vacant 
faces,  understood  themselves  somewhat  better,  but 
did  not  make  an  atmosphere  so  distinctly  their 
own. 

Millicent  was  immensely  surprised  on  leaving 


ILahewooD. 


49 


the  dining-room  to  have  to  wait  while  her  father 
shook  hands  with  Mrs.  Lorrieve  who  had  hypno- 
tized him  with  her  small  black  eyes  to  such  purpose 
when  he  rose  that  he  could  not  do  otherwise. 
He  dexterously  tried  to  hide  his  daughter,  but 
it  was  of  no  avail,  for  she  heard  with  amusing 
wonder  Mrs.  Lorrieve  say, — 

"  You  hev  yer  darter  with  you.  She  favors 
you  too.  And  how's  your  wife  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  Mrs.  Kent  is  very  unwell." 

"  Ah,  I'm  sarry.  I'd  hoped  when  I  saw  you  I'd 
hev  the  pleasure  of  meetin'  her."  She  leaned  in 
order  to  look  behind  him. 

He  bowed  and  turned  away,  but  Mrs. 
Lorrieve  touched  Millicent  to  arrest  her. 

"  How  do  you  do,  mi  dear?  I'm  glad  to  meet 
you  for  yer  father's  sake.  Me  and  him  heve  ben 
good  frinds  this  long  time." 

"  Daughter,"  said  Mr.  Kent  severely,  turning 
back,  "  Mrs.  Lorrieve." 

Millicent  bowed. 

"  Mi  darter  Daisy."  She  waved  her  fat  hand 
to  the  young  woman  in  question. 

Millicent  bowed  again  very  stiffly. 

"  And  Mr.  Sims."  The  unction  with  which 
this  name  was  spoken  was  indescribable. 

Mr.  Sims  half  rose  from   his  chair  and  nodded 
delightedly  but  timidly,  extending  his  hand  which 
she  did  not  see. 
4 


So  laftewooO. 

They  passed  on,  but  Mrs.  Lorrieve  found  time 
to  say, — 

"  I'd  be  glad  to  see  you  in  mi  parlor — number 
twinty-nine — any  time  !  " 

When  the  Kents  had  left  the  elevator  and 
were  walking  toward  their  rooms,  Millicent 
exclaimed, 

"  What  horrid  people  !     Who  are  they  ?  " 

Her  father  laughed  disagreeably. 

"  They  hail  from  Boston  at  present.  I'd  take 
all  my  meals  in  my  room  rather  than  have 
another  such  encounter." 

"  But,  papa  !  She  said  you  were  friends,  you 
and  she.  What  did  she  mean  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  bit  of  Irish  brag." 

"  A  brogue  with  a  French  name,  too.  That 
was  absurd,  wasn't  it." 

He  laughed  again,  but  irritatedly. 

"  Mr.  Lorrieve  was  a  prominent  city  official  and 
while  in  office  waxed  rich.  Originally  he  was  a 
carpenter,  then  a  contractor,  then,  as  I  said,  a 
municipal  officer.  And  now — he  is — Lord  knows 
what — everything  !  " 

There  was  vexation,  even  anger,  in  his  voice. 

"  But  papa — that  doesn't  explain  how  you 
came  to  know  his  horrid,  vulgar  wife." 

"  If  a  business  man,  child,  attempted  to 
explain  his  acquaintances,  it  would  take  the 
rest  of  his  life.  I  bought  some  houses  of  her 


Xaftewoofc.  51 

husband,  as  I  thought,  but  it  turned  out  that 
the  deeds  were  in  her  name.  We  were  a  whole 
year  in  arranging  the  affair.  If  you  ever  become 
a  managing  woman,  dear,  I'll  disown  you.  They 
are  increasing  like  weeds  and  torment  a  man's 
life  out  of  him  at  every  turn  he  takes.  By 
the  way,  I  find  I  shall  have  the  leisure  to  run 
down  to  Lakewood  with  you  to-morrow  after- 
noon, so  be  ready  for  the  late  train." 

The  girl  looked  at  him  with  a  mixture  of 
curiosity  and  surprise.  She  had  seldom  seen 
him  so  excited.  The  impression  of  Mrs.  Lorrieve 
deepened  in  consequence.  However,  there  was 
no  time  to  think  further  of  these  people,  for  he 
had  delighted  her  at  dinner  by  offering  to  take 
her  to  an  evening  mission  service. 


52  Xahevvood. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  I'M  sorry,  Alice,  to  leave  you  here  alone, 
dreadfully  sorry ! " 

Mr.  Caruthers  stood  in  front  of  his  wife, 
his  hands  behind  him,  his  back  towards  the 
great  fireplace  in  the  main  hall  of  "  The  Lake- 
wood." 

Mrs.  Caruthers  was  sitting  in  one  of  the 
cushioned  leather  rockers.  Her  embroidery  fell 
into  her  lap.  She  looked  bewildered. 

"  I  can't  stay  in  a  place  like  this — alone !  " 

"  I  don't  see  why  !  You  will  be  lonesome,  of 
course,  but  you  can  have  so  many  comforts 
here.  I'd  rather  have  you  stop  here  than  at  a 
cottage." 

He  spoke  persuasively. 

"  I'll  fly  out  to  Denver  and  I'll  fly  back  just  as 
soon  as  we  can  possibly  adjust  this  mine  business. 
How'd  you  like  to  go  along?"  he  asked  all  at 
once,  eagerly. 

She  shook  her  head.  "  Father  is  too  feeble.  I 
must  be  where  I  can  reach  him  at  a  moment's 
notice." 

Mr.  Caruthers  was  devoted  to  his  wife,  but  his 


Xafcewoofc. 


53 


confidence  in  her  ability  to  take  care  of  herself 
was  absolute. 

Although  she  had  the  kind  of  beauty  which 
makes  every  man  a  knight-errant  to  its  possessor, 
she  also  had  the  resources  of  the  best  type 
of  American  woman.  She  merely  shrank 
from  the  isolation  which  gives  one  a  poignant 
sense  of  solitude  in  an  immense  hotel,  and 
where  acquaintances  may  be  met  every  day, 
but  perhaps  not  a  single  friend  in  a  month. 

"  It  isn't  that  I  can't  take  care  of  myself  well 
enough — at  least  better  than  anybody  else  can 
when  you  are  gone  " — and  she  gave  him  a  pretty, 
vanishing  smile.  "  But  I  shall  miss  you  so,  here. 
Why,  it  will  be  dreadful ! " 

A  tender  light  flashed  into  his  eyes.  "  How 
would  you  like  to  have  Perth  come  down  ?  " 

"  He  couldn't  leave  his  business.  He  has  just 
started — and  such  difficulty  as  he  had  in  finding 
something  eligible  to  do.  It  would  ruin  his  pros- 
pects to  take  him  away  from  the  bank  now.  If 
it  were  only  last  year,  I  would  say  Perth  by  all 
means.  Somebody,  you  know,  to  go  in  to  meals 
with  me,  or  to  church  on  Sundays,  and  peram- 
bulate the  corridors  with.  I  can't  stay  in  my 
rooms  all  the  time." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  Alice.  While  I'm 
in  the  City  to-day,  I'll  try  to  arrange  at  the  bank 
to  have  Perth  get  there  an  hour  later  in  the 


54  lafcewooD. 

mornings  till  I  return.  He  can  then  come  down 
afternoons,  be  with  you  over  Sundays,  do  us  a 
favor,  and  have  a  fine  time  himself." 

"  Won't  it  be  a  great  expense,  Tom  ?  " 

"  Oh,  if  you  feel  happier  about  my  leaving,  I 
shall  not  mind  the  expense.  And  then,  possibly, 
I  may  have  to  be  gone  longer  than  I  now  foresee. 
Here's  the  stage.  Good-bye  for  a  few  hours," 
and  nodding  brightly  he  picked  up  his  overcoat, 
lying  on  a  chair,  put  it  on  as  he  went,  and  fol- 
lowed the  moving  procession  to  the  long,  bright 
stages  standing  in  file  under  and  near  the  porte- 
cochere. 

Alice  gathered  up  her  embroidery,  went  slowly 
after  to  the  enclosed  porch,  watched  him  take  his 
place  in  the  stage,  and  did  not  turn  away  till  he 
was  out  of  sight. 

Perth  Edwards  was  her  only  cousin.  She  was 
very  fond  of  him.  It  was  through  her  husband's 
influence  he  was  now  teller  in  the  Dome  bank. 
On  his  part,  there  was  the  worshipful  admiration 
a  young  man  of  twenty-two  has  for  a  woman  of 
thirty.  He  sometimes  found  himself  divided  in 
allegiance  between  Millicent's  large,  conspicuous 
style  of  beauty  and  Mrs.  Caruthers'  blonde, 
slender  elegance.  They  were  the  only  two 
women,  however,  who  awoke  a  thought  of  chiv- 
alry in  him,  for  he  was  full  of  business  ambi- 
tion. 


XaftewooO.  55 

After  a  talk  with  the  cashier  of  the  Dome, 
Mr.  Caruthers  went  up  to  Perth's  pigeon- 
hole. 

The  young  man  did  not  look  up  at  once.  He 
was  counting  and  separating  a  pile  of  bills.  When 
he  did  glance  out  his  eye  had  a  cold,  expression- 
less stare.  His  face  was  impassive. 

"  Glad  to  see  you  wearing  the  bank  aspect  so 
early,  Perth.  How  are  you  getting  along?" 

"  First-rate."  His  manly  face  became  per- 
sonal. His  clear  gray  eyes  shone  with  health  and 
activity. 

"  How  is  Alice  ?  "  he  asked  in  an  affectionate 
voice. 

"  Alice  is  well — the  prettiest  woman  at  Lake- 
wood  ! "  Caruthers  lowered  his  voice  slightly 
and  nodded  convincingly. 

"  She  is  the  prettiest  woman  I've  ever" 

He  stopped  ingenuously,  a  faint  color  suffusing 
his  face. 

"  Got  it  already,  Perth  ?  I  thought  better  of 
you.  Who  is  it  ?" 

Not  to  be  abashed,  the  young  man  stared  at 
Caruthers  with  his  chin  set.  Then  he  laughed, 
saying  he  would  have  to  reserve  his  confidences 
for  a  more  private  opportunity. 

"  All  right !  "  after  a  long,  teasing  look. — "  I 
have  come  to  make  you  an  offer.  You  see  noth- 
ing succeeds  like  success." 


56  XafcewooD. 

Perth  put  his  pencil  behind  his  ear  and  became 
alert. 

"  I've  got  to  go  to  Denver  to-morrow.  I  want 
Alice  to  stay  at  Lakewood.  The  air  is  doing  her 
good.  She  rides  out  every  day.  It's  altogether 
the  best  place  to  leave  her.  Besides,  she  can't  be 
far  away  on  account  of  her  father.  Now  what  I 
want  you  to  do  is  to  go  down  there  afternoons, 
spend  your  Sundays  with  her  and  wait  on 
her  generally  between  banking  hours  till  I  get 
back." 

The  young  man's  face  flushed.  His  eyes 
glowed.  He  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  and 
looked  eagerly,  although  with  considerable  per- 
plexity, at  Caruthers.  He  grew  embarrassed. 
Visions  of  unthought-of  opportunities  with  Milli- 
cent  spread  before  him  :  other  visions  of  a  salary 
of  a  thousand  a  year  also  occupied  the  fore-ground. 

"  What's  the  matter?"  said  Caruthers  sternly, 
pretending  not  to  understand. 

"I'd  like  to  do  it — but, — don't  you  see?  a 
fellow  on  my  salary  would  be  bankrupt  after  a 
month  at  the  '  Lakewood'." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  if  it  were  not  a  question 
of  money  " 

"  I'd  go  in  a  minute,  and  consider  myself 
lucky." 

"  Oh,  if  that  is  all,  we  will  soon  fix  matters." 

He  drew  his  pocket-book  from  his  breast,  took 


fcafcewoofc. 


57 


out  a  blank  check,  filled  it,  and  handed  it  to 
Perth. 

"  There,  put  this  to  your  account.  It'll  keep 
you  and  give  you  a  small  sum  to  be  generous 
with  if  that  girl  who  has  made  you  a  traitor  to 
Alice  should  appear." 

Perth  now  blushed  so  violently  that  Caruthers 
brought  his  fist  down  on  the  shelf  of  the  pigeon- 
hole with  a  bang. — "  I  declare !  " 

Both  laughed  heartily,  the  young  man  pretend- 
ing to  read  the  check.  He  put  it  aside  presently, 
thanking  Caruthers,  and  with  an  effort  towards 
regaining  his  composure,  said, 

"  When  do  you  want  me  to  begin  ?" 

"  To-morrow." 

"  I'll  have  to  see  if  I  can  get  in  here  later, 
mornings." 

"  It  is  all  arranged.  If  you  are  on  hand  at 
10 :  30  it'll  be  all  right." 

"  Well,  Caruthers,  I  must  say  you  have  done 
a  jolly  thing  for  me,  and  on  my  part  I'll  take 
splendid  care  of  Alice.  I'll  turn  myself  into  a 
clown,  if  necessary,  to  amuse  her." 

"  O,  she  is  a  little  more  intellectual  than  that. 
I  guess  you  will  neither  of  you  have  any  difficulty 
in  making  time  pass.  Good-bye,  then.  Take  the 
train  to-morrow  that  will  bring  you  there  for 
seven  o'clock  dinner  with  my  wife.  You  will  find 
her  looking  for  you.  Good-bye  !  " 


58  laftewood. 

The  taste  growing  out  of  our  mixed  races  and 
consequent  composite  features  and  coloring  gives 
the  precedence  to  complexions  not  striking  but 
harmonious  and  to  a  beauty  dependent  on  ex- 
pression, yet  there  is  a  lingering  fondness  on  the 
part  of  all  lovers  of  the  beautiful  for  the  dis- 
tinctively blonde  and  brunette  types.  Watch  how 
eagerly  men  and  women  will  turn  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  face,  if  they  notice  a  mass  of  hair 
in  coils  of  burnished  gold  or  braids  of  blue  black 
or  the  rich  peculiar  color  blending  with  an  olive 
complexion. 

Mrs.  Caruthers  was  brilliantly  blonde.  She  was 
above  the  usual  height.  All  her  lines  were  long, 
slender,  yet  curved.  Her  abundant  hair,  of  a 
vivid  golden  hue,  waved  from  the  nape  of  her  neck 
and  from  her  round,  high  forehead  to  a  loose  coil 
twisted  on  the  top  of  her  head.  This  arrange- 
ment displayed  her  small,  highly  convoluted  ears. 
Her  features,  while  full,  were  long  and  unusual  and 
beautiful.  So  much  radiance  of  eyes,  lips,  com- 
plexion and  hair  seemed  at  first  sight  unnatural, 
but  they  were  genuine  and  simply  so  perfect  that 
it  took  a  little  time  to  become  accustomed  to 
them.  But  finally,  when  the  impression  of  her 
beauty  was  made,  it  was  unique. 

Her  gaze  was  clear  and  steady.  One  could 
look  in  vain  into  those  deep  almost  solemn  blue 
eyes  for  a  hint  of  insincerity.  One  could  watch 


XafeewooO.  59 

every  expression  of  her  full,  arched,  mobile  and 
red  lips  for  a  suggestion  of  too  passionate  feel- 
ing. Her  mouth  was  an  intensely  human,  yet 
wonderfully  sweet,  pure,  determined  feature,  and 
its  color  and  form  were  emphasized  by  teeth 
evenly  set  and  startlingly  white.  Neither  her 
character  nor  her  mind  was  keyed  to  concert 
pitch.  She  had  a  few  dominant  traits  and  they 
were  always  consistently  manifested.  She  either 
loved  or  hated.  She  was  literal  yet  imaginative 
and  keen  in  her  perceptions  of  actual  conditions 
and  influences.  She  was  indeed  that  rare  woman 
whom  one  oftener  dreams  about  than  meets — 
beautiful,  practical,  and  with  sufficient  senti- 
ment to  keep  her  interested  in  humanity  at 
large. 

The  corridors  of  the  "  Lakewood "  are  very 
spacious,  and  the  double  T  which  they  make  on 
each  floor  greatly  increases  their  space  for  prom- 
enaders. 

After  her  husband's  departure,  Mrs.  Caruthers 
folded  her  embroidery,  put  it  in  a  fancy  silk  bag 
she  carried  on  her  arm,  stood  irresolutely  a  few 
moments  before  the  fire,  her  back  turned  towards 
the  scattered  groups  seated  in  the  large  central 
hall,  the  informal  gathering-place  of  the  hotel. 
She  then  went  to  the  news  stand  to  her  right  and 
asked  for  the  latest  periodical.  While  waiting 
for  the  magazine  she  observed  for  the  first  time 


60  Xahewoofc. 

that  morning  the  threatening  aspect  of  the 
weather. 

Sombre  pines  were  tossing  in  a  high  wind,  and 
a  squall  of  snow  drearier  for  the  struggling  sun- 
shine scurried  like  a  driven  mist  in  the  air.  It 
was  no  morning  for  a  walk.  She  therefore  slowly 
sauntered  down  the  long  corridor — then  back  and 
forth  a  score  of  times  through  the  deserted  side 
one.  She  did  not  feel  lonely.  She  had  already 
thoroughly  adjusted  herself  to  her  husband's 
approaching  absence.  She  had  even  fixed  her 
thoughts  with  a  glad,  calm  anticipation  on  his 
return. 

It  would  be  pleasant  to  see  so  much  of  Perth. 
He  was  like  a  younger  brother.  She  had  never 
had  brothers  or  sisters  or  young  relatives  of  any 
degree  except  this  one  cousin.  She  thought  of  her 
father,  querulous,  hugging  solitude  and  cherish- 
ing the  pessimisms  of  age.  "  God  preserve  me 
from  an  unhappy  old  age,"  she  involuntarily 
sighed. 

Constitutionally  and  through  circumstances  she 
was  less  trammelled  by  prejudice  than  most 
women.  She  had  had  no  hard  struggles  in  her 
life.  Her  environment,  though  not  in  any  way 
her  own  creation,  suited  her.  Her  husband  had 
been  selected  for  her  by  her  parents,  but  he 
proved  to  be  the  man  with  whom  she  fell  in  love. 
Her  admirable  self-poise  has  neither  fostered  self- 


laftewooO.  6 1 

ishness  nor  caused  mental  stagnation.  According 
to  the  dramatic  issues  of  most  lives,  if  trouble 
ever  visited  her  it  would  come  like  a  cyclone  or 
with  its  first  appearance  usher  in  a  long  train  of 
misfortunes. 

She  had  really  lived  thus  far  in  an  earthly 
paradise.  Her  appearance,  her  expression,  the 
sweetness  of  her  charity,  rather  limited,  it  is  true, 
by  her  happiness  and  prosperity,  but  genuine, 
gave  her  an  atmosphere  which  arrested  the  notice 
of  the  sick,  the  discouraged,  the  unsuccessful. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  chief  good  she  was  born 
to  accomplish  was  to  be  a  kind  of  radiant  sun- 
dial to  prove  to  luckless  mortals  that  the  sun  does 
shine  and  that  there  are  "  fields  of  living  green  " 
in  the  world. 

While  she  walked,  her  princess  gown  of  dark 
green  sweeping  the  carpet,  her  work-bag  of 
the  same  color  delicately  embroidered  in  pink 
hanging  from  her  wrist,  her  hands  clasped  in 
front  of  her,  she  looked  like  some  harbinger  of 
spring. 

She  had  reached  the  end  of  the  short  corridor. 
As  she  turned  to  retrace  her  steps,  a  door  near 
the  opposite  end  opened  and  a  lady  appeared. 
Their  meeting  was  inevitable. 

They  came  nearer,  and  as  they  did  so,  a  furtive 
gleam  of  recognition  swept  over  the  features  of 
the  shorter  woman.  Alice  Caruthers  now  looked 


62  Xafcewoofc. 

up.  A  frank,  surprised  and  delighted  smile  over- 
spread her  face.  She  extended  her  hand. 

The  relief,  subtle,  dignified  and  evanescent  as 
it  was  that  glimmered  in  the  other's  dark  eyes 
was  immense.  She  as  frankly  grasped  those 
long,  white,  pink-tipped  fingers  in  her  small 
delicately  moulded  olive  hand. 

"  Naomi  Beno,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Adena  now — and  you,  are  you  still 
Alice  Downing  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Caruthers.  I  haven't  seen  you  since  we 
were  at  school.  You  have  changed." 

"  I  have  lived  abroad  ten  years.  You  have  not 
changed  much,"  and  Mrs.  Adena  looked  at  her 
with  restrained  admiration. 

Alice  laughed.  "  My  husband  tells  me  I  am 
like  a  carefully  preserved  rose,  that  I  will  never 
dry  up,  or  fade,  or  change — but  just  fall  to  pieces 
one  of  these  fine  days." 

Naomi  heaved  a  deep  sigh  from  her  full  chest. 
She  was  growing  stout.  But  she  was  very 
beautiful. 

Alice  thought  of  the  Madonnas  of  Raphael's 
later  style,  and  yet  there  was  a  touch  of  spirit 
about  Naomi  as  though  Luini's  brush  had  given 
her  a  little  of  the  Venetian  glow  and  girlishness 
to  animate  her  features  with  the  spiritual  longing 
one  sees  once  in  a  great  while  in  the  Hebrew 
physiognomy. 


XaftewooD.  63 

"  Are  you  to  be  here  long?  "  asked  Alice. 

"  Through  March,  and  perhaps  a  little  later. 

"  And  I  too.  Will  you  not  come  to  my  parlor 
some  morning — and  talk  over  old  times?  " 

Naomi  smiled  radiantly.  She  was  now  sure 
that  Mrs.  Caruthersdid  not  wish  the  acquaintance 
to  be  merely  a  speaking  one. 

"  Thank  you  ;  yes." 

"  Come  any  day,"  and  Alice  half  turned  to  walk 
on. 

"  I  shall  be  delighted  to  do  so."  Naomi  bowed 
and  proceeded  down  the  long  corridor. 

Alice  finished  her  walk  to  the  end  of  the 
shorter  hall  and  came  back  to  where  the  conver- 
sation had  taken  place. 

Mrs.  Adena  was  talking  with  a  man  at  the 
entrance  to  one  of  the  parlors.  The  light  fell 
across  the  room  from  the  enclosed  rotunda  on 
the  opposite  side,  enveloping  the  Jewess.  Her 
face  was  in  profile.  Alice  was  struck  with  its 
majesty.  She  looked  at  it  as  if  it  were  some  rare 
painting. 

Naomi  wore  her  hair  unconventionally.  It  was 
parted,  lying  in  silky  waves  on  either  side  of  her 
forehead  and  braided  in  a  thick,  low,  glossy 
coil.  Her  full  yet  delicate  features  revealed  the 
most  exquisite  oriental  symmetry.  There  were 
languor  and  tenderness,  passion  and  purity  in  the 
gently  swelling  contour  of  her  dark,  clear  cheeks 


64  Xafcewoofc. 

and  sensitive  chin,  the  lines  of  which  curved 
exquisitely  till  they  met  the  throat  which  still  had 
the  peculiar  fulness  of  youth. 

And  yet,  Naomi,  Alice  reflected,  was  about  her 
own  age.  Even  the  rather  short  figure,  notwith- 
standing its  rotundity,  retained  a  hint  of  girlish 
elasticity  ;  it  possessed  a  sweet  motherliness  too. 
Alice  sighed,  wondering  if  Naomi  had  received 
the  one  gift  denied  her — children. 


Xafeewood.  65 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FINDING  herself  very  much  fatigued  the  morn- 
ing  after  Portia's  lecture,  Mrs.  Grace  did  not  go 
down  to  breakfast.  Her  husband  and  Mrs.  Can- 
dace  were  thus  left  to  each  other's  resources. 

Mr.  Grace  was  a  big,  pink-hued  fellow  with  a 
sandy  moustache  and  a  puffing,  semi-belligerent 
way  of  talking.  Mrs.  Candace  thought  it  a  pity 
he  could  not  appear  in  knee  breeches,  ruffled 
shirt  front  and  lace  frills.  He  would  have  fitted 
the  house  better,  which  was,  however,  still  too 
new,  too  glaringly  harmonious  and  too  ultra- 
colonial  for  people  to  avoid  the  impression  that 
they  also  were  pieces  of  furniture. 

Mrs.  Candace  was  not  colonial  in  the  slightest. 
Her  lavender  tea-gown  belonged  to  the  winter 
style  of  '92.  Her  pale-brown  hair  was  worn 
pompadour  simply  because  this  mode  fitted  her 
rather  large  features,  emphasizing  the  starry  yet 
gentle  expression  of  her  whole  face.  She  had  a 
fine,  free  step,  an  elegant  figure,  and  that  inde- 
scribable personality  denominated  style,  but 
usually  the  full  outcome  of  the  highest  refinement 
of  thought  and  life.  She  was  of  good  American 
5 


66  Xahewood. 

stock,  which  was  evident  in  her  speech,  her  views 
and  her  appearance.  Even  newly-made  Boston 
friends  did  not  try  to  place  her  genealogically. 
Occasional  efforts  of  this  kind  that  she  did  en- 
counter were  met  by  such  a  cool  indifference  that 
they  were  not  repeated.  There  was  only  one 
class  of  human  beings  before  whom  she  would 
have  asserted  the  value  of  birth,  family  traditions 
and  culture,  and  this  she  never  encountered,  the 
pauper  and  criminal  immigrants  of  plethoric 
Europe.  Among  her  own  country  men  and 
country  women  she  insisted  on  being  a  simple 
American,  which  meant  to  her  what  being  a 
Roman  did  to  Cincinnatus  and  the  Gracchi.  She 
was  therefore  rigidly  proud  of  her  nationality  and 
all  which  it  implied.  In  England,  having  long  be- 
fore exhausted  the  curiosity  of  a  mere  sight-seer, 
she  declined  the  weariness  of  a  presentation  to 
the  Queen.  She  would  have  been  rather  inter- 
ested to  see  the  "  Queen  of  Great  Britain  and 
Empress  of  the  Indies  "  if  it  had  come  in  her  way 
to  do  so  ;  but  to  go  out  of  her  way  for  such  a 
purpose  was  too  fatiguing.  In  Rome,  she  had  a 
glimpse  of  the  Pope  at  St.  Peter's,  but  when  told 
she  might  behold  him  face  to  face  by  undergoing 
certain  osculatory  indignities  wholly  on  her  part, 
she  looked  at  her  informant  with  a  quelling  mild- 
ness, much  as  the  Virgin  Mary  or  one  of  the 
Vestal  Virgins  would  be  supposed  to  have  done 


ILahewooO.  67 

under  similar  circumstances.  She  had  had  a  pei- 
sonal  acquaintance  with  three  of  the  Presidents  of 
the  United  States,  and  this  she  considered  an 
honor.  She  had  never  gone  to  Washington, 
though,  to  witness  an  inauguration.  Where  she 
was  invited,  there  she  went,  if  inclination  and 
opportunity  served.  She  was  rather  capricious 
and  unreasonable  in  the  way  of  forming  friend- 
ships, but  she  was  steadfast  to  all  that  the  word 
friendship  implied.  Sooner  or  later,  too,  others 
discovered  valuable  intrinsic  qualities  in  people 
whom  she  visited  or  with  whom  she  affiliated. 

Mr.  Grace  and  she  got  under  way,  so  to 
speak,  with  their  breakfast — each,  though  not  ap- 
pearing to  do  so,  trying  to  find  out  what  the  other 
would  enjoy  talking  about  most.  She  soon  ob- 
served that  his  wife  made  a  congenial  theme. 

"  Is  Mrs.  Grace  doing  anything  for  her 
cough?" 

He  looked  up  quickly.  His  pale  eyes  wore  a 
gratified  look. 

"  She  is  doing  something  all  the  time,  and  the 
fact  is,  Mrs.  Candace,  I'm  awfully  worried.  You 
see  we  knocked  about  the  South  last  winter,  and 
the  winter  before  we  spent  at  Nice  and  in  Algiers. 
But  nothing  seemed  to  do  her  much  good.  We 
got  as  sick — as  sick  as  two  dogs — if  you  will  ex- 
cuse the  expression,  of  making  a  camping-ground 
of  the  world — and  so  we  came  down  here  last 


68  XafcewooD. 

Autumn,  took  this  house,  furnished  it,  and  moved 
in  on  the  first  of  November.  I  tell  you  life's 
been  worth  living  since  then." 

He  fumbled  in  his  pocket,  drew  out  a  fresh  silk 
handkerchief  and,  rolling  it  into  a  loose  wad, 
mopped  his  florid  face. 

"  The  only  thing  to  spoil  it  all  is  Ethel's  health." 
He  looked  furtively  around.  The  butler  had 
stepped  into  the  pantry.  He  leaned  over  the 
table.  "  She  feels  so  sensitive  about  it.  Both 
lungs  are  affected.  Rather  serious  you  perceive. 
She  pretends  not  to  believe  a  word  of  it — not  a 
word  !  " 

Mrs.  Candace  looked  thoughtful.  "  I  do  not 
think  Lakewood  was  a  good  place  to  come  to, 
considering  Ethel's  gay  tastes,"  she  said,  after  a 
minute's  reflection. 

"  Not  very,  but  infinitely  better  than  New 
York.  Here  we  go  out  only  two  or  three  nights  a 
week,  and  there  it  would  have  been  every  night. 
It  was  ever  so  good  in  you  to  come  to  see  us, 
Mrs.  Candace,  and  perhaps  while  you  are  here 
you  can  influence  my  wife.  Everybody  seems  to 
do  just  about  what  you  want  them  to,"  and  he 
looked  at  her  with  a  kind  of  boyish  appeal  that 
was  very  pleasing.  "  Now  if  she  would  just  keep 
her  room  a  couple  of  weeks  !  As  soon  as  the 
spring  thoroughly  opens,  we  shall  cross,  making 
our  way  slowly  to  the  Engadine  for  the  summer. 


TLafeewooD.  69 

Ethel  will  be  all  right  again  for  a  season,  if  she 
pulls  through  March  without  an  illness.  I  was 
awfully  surprised  when  your  letter  came  accept- 
ing my  wife's  invitation.  We  had  had  a  wager 
over  it.  She  declared  you  would  come,  and  I  said 
you  wouldn't.  You  should  have  heard  her  when 
she  found  out  she  had  won." 

"  Of  course  she  knew  I  would  come.  She  is  a 
great  pet  with  me." 

"  If  you  think  you  could  amuse  yourself  to-day, 
I'd  like  to  run  up  to  the  city.  The  rest  of  the 
week  I  am  at  your  service." 

"  Please  do  not  let  my  visit  make  any  trouble- 
some difference  in  your  life.  I  need  to-day  for 
bringing  up  confidences  with  Ethel." 

A  few  years  before  she  would  have  said,  "  do 
not  let  my  coming  make  any  difference."  She 
was  however  frank  enough  with  herself  and  suffi- 
ciently human  to  have  discovered  long  ago  that 
perhaps  the  most  absolutely  unbearable  things 
in  the  world  are  hosts  and  hostesses  who  do 
not  incommode  themselves  in  the  slightest. 
She  knew  perfectly  well  that  the  reason  she  got 
along  with  everyone  and  why  everybody  made  a 
favorite  of  her  was  because  she  neither  taxed 
their  human  nature  nor  her  own,  either,  in  social 
relations,  to  an  unreasonable  extent. 

After  breakfast,  she  wandered  through  the 
lower  rooms  with  an  odd  little  smile  hovering 


70  Xaftewoofc. 

about  the  corners  of  her  mouth.  She  thought 
how  such  a  house  would  tire  her  to  death. 
Everything  was  for  ornament,  for  effect,  much  of 
it  luxuriously  comfortable,  and  yet  the  whole  was 
so  unhomelike.  Where  the  difficulty  lay,  she  could 
hardly  tell — unless  it  were  in  proportion. 

The  dining-room  was  so  large,  substantial  and 
splendid,  the  library  so  meagre  and  orderly ;  the 
draperies  were  so  costly,  the  books  and  pictures 
relatively  so  much  less  so.  There  was  a  grand 
piano  but  no  stacks  of  music  visible.  A  banjo 
with  a  pink  ribbon  run  through  the  handle  lay 
on  one  of  the  drawing-room  divans.  There 
was  an  enormous  open  fire  burning  in  the  great 
hall.  Over  the  mantel  was  some  ancient  armor, 
placed  there  with  the  thoughtless  anachron- 
ism of  decorators.  The  polished  oak  had  none 
of  the  mellow  tints  of  age.  The  keen,  gaunt 
March  sunshine  flooding  the  large  spaces  sought 
the  Ghiordes  and  fine  Ivan  rugs  as  if  its  duty 
were  to  give  a  note  of  antiquity  to  a  mansion 
patterned  after  the  style  of  a  century  ago. 

A  woman,  like  a  cat,  feels  better  after  taking 
her  bearings,  and  so  Mrs.  Candace,  having 
studied  more  than  to  her  heart's  content  down- 
stairs effects,  began  slowly  to  ascend  to  the  next 
floor. 

She  liked  the  upper  hall.  It  was  youthful, 
gay,  as  joyous  as  the  Trianon — but  Ethel  was 


Xafcewoofc.  7 1 

young,  too,  and  this  upper  hall  really  had  the 
merit  of  her  individuality. 

Stepping  into  her  own  room,  its  gorgeousness 
struck  her  as  if  with  a  first  view.  Delightfully 
pretty,  too,  for  a  guest  chamber,  she  admitted. 

The  carpet  had  a  white  ground  strewn  with 
pink  roses.  The  walls  hung  with  silk  draperies 
repeated  in  the  furniture  covering  were  in  fervid 
pinks  relieved  by  a  chintz  pattern,  up  and 
down  which  revelled  creamy  roses  with  delicate 
green  stems  and  leaves.  The  furniture  in  white 
elaborately  decorated  in  gold  was  as  new  as  the 
day,  and  its  coverings  of  linens,  laces,  plushes  and 
silks  were  rich  and  numberless. 

There  was  a  fine,  big  white  writing-desk  open 
and  filled  with  paper  bearing  Ethel's  crest  in 
metal  colors.  The  desk  had  so  many  appoint- 
ments in  silver  that  in  writing  a  letter  or  two  the 
night  before  Mrs.  Candace  had  put  half  of  them 
away  in  a  drawer.  She  needed  more  space  for 
her  arms. 

Every  picture  in  the  room  displayed  Cupid  in 
his  more  or  less  famous  amatory  exploits — except 
two,  and  one  of  these  was  a  pair  of  birds  billing 
on  the  edge  of  a  lake  strewn  with  lilies,  and  the 
other  was  a  huge  one  in  oil  of  splendid  double 
roses  falling  to  pieces  from  sheer  full-blown 
magnificence. 

The  silk  sachets   in  the   drawers    were    scented 


72  XaftewooD. 

with  attar  of  roses.  The  very  Bible,  on  a  small 
prie-dieu  in  one  corner,  was  bound  in  quilted 
white  satin,  on  either  cover  of  which  was  painted 
an  exquisite  rose.  To  Elizabeth  the  large  ivory 
crucifix  over  the  prie-dieu  looked  very  much  out 
of  place  in  this  room.  She  found  herself  saying 
softly  :  "  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of 
the  air  have  nests  ;  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not 
where  to  lay  his  head." 

She  had  found  it  necessary  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  although  a  raw,  bitter  wind  was 
already  blowing  a  gale  in  the  room,  to  open 
another  window,  to  reduce  the  stifling  rose  per- 
fume that  was  everywhere  and  in  everything, 
even  in  the  draperies  of  her  bed. 

After  sitting  a  few  minutes  before  the  freshly 
made  fire  on  the  hearth,  a  look  of  deep  gravity  on 
her  own  still  youthful  face,  she  rose  with  a  heavy 
sigh  and  went  across  the  hall  to  the  chamber  of 
her  young  hostess. 

The  door  was  slightly  ajar. 

"  May  I  come  in?" 

"  O,  do  please  !  " 

Ethel  was  propped  up  in  bed,  her  blonde  hair 
already  elaborately  arranged  and  showing  with 
effect  against  the  lace-trimmed  pillow  slips.  An 
invalid's  table  was  set  in  front  of  her.  The  dain- 
ty breakfast  had  evidently  just  been  brought 
in. 


V  & 

M- !  ^S^ 

-"'    '    X% 


"THE     DAINTY     BREAKFAST     HAD     EVIDENTLY     JUST     BEEN 
BROUGHT   IN." — Page  72. 


73 

"  I  hope  you  will  forgive  my  laziness,  for  that  is 
all  it  is — sheer,  downright  laziness.  Theodore 
won't  let  me  have  the  fatigue  of  getting  up  till 
I've  had  my  breakfast,  and  besides,"  she  smiled 
prettily,  "  I'll  be  frank  enough  to  say  I've  gotten 
so  much  used  to  breakfasting  in  this  way  that  it 
would  be  a  great  trial  to  change  the  habit.  I'm 
strong  enough  though — just  as  strong  as  I  can  be 
this  winter.  Did  you  have  a  good  breakfast  ? 
Was  everything  all  right?  Was  Buxton  atten- 
tive ? 

"  The  breakfast  and  Buxton,  too,  were 
perfect." 

"  You  must  remember  if  you  want  yours  in 
your  room  any  morning,  or  every  morning,  you 
can  have  it  there  just  as  well  as  not.  Name  the 
hour  the  night  before  to  my  maid.  The  cook, 
the  butler,  the  whole  menagerie,  are  trained  to 
this  sort  of  thing.  Theodore  breakfasts  upstairs 
half  the  time." 

"  I  never  do,  my  dear,  at  least  I  don't  think  I 
have  taken  a  meal  in  my  room  in  several  years.  If 
it  is  customary  for  your  guests,  though — "  Mrs. 
Candace  added  thoughtfully. 

"  Oh,  customary  !  Anything  anybody  likes  to 
do  is  customary  in  this  house.  That,  to  my 
mind,  is  the  beauty  of  housekeeping.  Theodore 
and  I  have  known  what  living  is  since  we  set  up 
our  establishment." 


74  Xaftewoofc. 

"  Don't  you  have  the  universal  trouble  with 
servants  ?  " 

"  Not  we.  I  have  hit  upon  a  plan  I  consider 
masterly.  Whenever  a  man  or  maid  begins  to 
grumble,  I  raise  the  wages.  I  have  done  it  all 
round  twice  only  since  November.  We  are  as 
peaceful  here  in  consequence  as  a  January  day 
on  the  Tuscaloosa.  So  anything  you  want, 
Mrs.  Candace,  ask  for  it,  for  it  is  well  paid 
for." 

"  I  think  you  are  a  terribly  luxurious,  extrava- 
gant little  puss,  and  doing  your  full  share  towards 
demoralizing  servants." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  "  said  Ethel,  indiffer- 
ently, while  dipping  a  strawberry  into  sugar  and 
then  holding  it  by  its  stem  in  the  sunlight  to 
see  its  rich  color.  "  I  mean  to  be  comfortable. 
Do  you  remember  when  we  were  in  Italy 
together,  what  bills  I  made  just  for  ice  ?  What 
is  money  good  for  unless  it  is  to  buy  what  one 
wants." 

Mrs.  Candace  drew  a  willow  rocker  beside 
the  bed  and  sat  down.  She  was  not  disposed  to 
argue  ;  besides,  Mrs.  Grace  looked  undeniably  tired 
out  and  feverish.  The  high  color  in  a  little  round 
spot  on  either  cheek,  and  her  restless,  brilliant  eyes 
were  pitifully  significant. 

"  How  old  are  you,  Ethel  ?  " 

"  Twenty-two.     To   think    I've   been   married 


Xaftewood.  75 

three  years  !  It  seems  but  a  day.  Theodore  is 
lovely,  per-fect-ly  lovely.  Isn't  he  the  dearest, 
biggest  old  pussy  cat  you  ever  saw  ! " 

Mrs.  Candace  laughed  heartily. 

"  O,  he  knows  he  looks  like  one,"  said  Ethel, 
enjoying  the  effect  of  her  words.  "  My  pet 
name  for  him  is  '  Angora ' — and  he  loves  cream 
and  soft  places  as  well  as  I  do.  You  can't  think 
how  interested  he  was  in  helping  furnish  the 
house.  He  said  he  liked  it  better  than  buying 
horses  or  yachting.  The  library  is  his  taste 
altogether.  He  is  as  vain  as  a  peacock  over 
that  room,  so  do  try,  if  you  can,  to  praise  it  some 
day  when  it  comes  in  naturally." 

"  I'll  do  my  best."— Elizabeth  rocked  gently. 
Ethel  looked  steadily  at  her  and  wonderingly. 

"  You  are  the  youngest  looking  woman,  and 
the  oldest  too.  I  have  puzzled  my  wits  ever 
since  you  came  to  find  out  what  it  is.  Your  skin 
is  as  fine  and  clear  as  mine,  and  at  least  I've  a 
good  complexion.  And  you  haven't  a  line  or 
wrinkle.  I  think  it  is  your  eyes " 

"That  are  old?" 

"  Yes.  They  are  such  wise  eyes.  I  don't 
mean  they  are  faded — but  they  look — oh,  so  deep 
and  sweet  and  merry  and  sad." 

"  Have  you  noticed  how  poorly-shaped  they 
are  ?  " 

"  They   have   a    look  !     If   I   saw   your    eyes 


76  Xafcewoofc. 

alone,  dear  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  I  should  say  you  were 
at  least  forty." 

"  Would  you  like  to  know  how  old  I  am  ?  " 

"  I  am  dying  to  hear." 

"  Thirty-two." 

"  I  supposed  you  were  about  that,  but  I 
didn't  know.  Ten  years  older  than  I  am." 

"  Ten  years  that  have  nearly  blotted  out  all  the 
others." 

She  got  up  and  went  to  the  window.  She 
had  no  intention  of  growing  deeply  confidential 
with  Mrs.  Grace.  Their  friendship  from  the 
beginning  was  not  built  on  this  basis.  She  had 
learned  to  love  Ethel  with  some  tenderness  because 
she  had  been  of  valuable  help  and  comfort  to  the 
little  woman,  and  Ethel  loved  her,  after  finding  in 
her  the  feminine  protection,  plain  speaking,  and 
advice  she  needed.  They  were  distantly  related, 
and  the  slight  blood-connection  made  a  shadowy 
bond  rather  pleasant  to  both. 

There  was  nothing  to  break  the  view  Mrs. 
Candace  looked  out  on.  The  monotony  so  dis- 
pleasing to  many  was  restful  to  her.  She  was 
charmed  with  the  simple,  bold  effects  of  color 
before  her.  The  rich  green  of  the  pines,  the  fer- 
vid yellow  of  the  soil,  the  brilliant  blue  of  the  sky, 
and  the  tiny  ripples  of  the  lake,  as  azure  as  the 
heavens  above, — all  this  brightness,  cleanliness, 
and  purity  of  tone  had  a  foreign  air  to  her  after 


XaftewooS. 


77 


passing  several  winters  on  the  other  side.  She 
longed  to  go  out  of  doors  by  herself  to  explore  the 
path  around  the  lake  where  already  could  be  seen 
an  occasional  brisk  pedestrian.  Her  thoughts  at 
the  same  time  were  on  her  past,  which  was  set 
apart  as  a  picture  in  a  frame,  or  like  a  reflection 
seen  outside  a  brilliantly  lighted  room  on  a  dark 
night — so  real,  and  yet  but  a  phantom.  A  sacred 
beautiful  past — her  life  !  Was  it  because  she  had 
no  future,  absolutely  no  future  so  far  as  her  own 
consciousness,  ambition,  or  longing  was  concerned, 
that  her  eyes  had  the  pathos  and  the  mirthful- 
ness  others  besides  Ethel  noticed.  Yet  time 
never  loitered  with  her,  for  her  warm  human 
interests  made  her  unselfish  and  sympathetic. 
The  largeness  of  view,  the  tolerance  and  the 
readiness  to  be  amused  upon  the  surface,  which 
develop  occasionally  from  the  possession  of 
wealth,  many  opportunities  and  social  attrac- 
tiveness, made  her  charming.  She  was  always 
alone  in  the  depths  of  her  heart,  but  she  clung 
eagerly  and  appreciatively  to  such  relations  as 
she  still  had  the  capacity  for  forming.  She  was 
a  woman  with  many  friends,  but  without  one 
absorbing  affection.  This  temperate  state  is 
oftener  than  not  after  a  big  nature  is  adjusted  to 
it,  companioned  by  contentment,  for  the  mind  is 
singularly  free  to  go  on  all  manner  of  explora- 
tions. 


78  Xafcewoofc. 

When  she  turned  towards  Ethel's  chamber 
again,  its  heaped-up  material  splendor  jarred  upon 
her.  Ethel  made  such  an  absurd  centre  for  it  all 
as  she  held  the  leg  of  a  bird  between  her  teeth. 

The  room  was  furnished  with  the  excessive 
lavishness  of  a  self-indulgent  woman  whose  pleas- 
ure is  more  in  surroundings  than  in  persons.  It 
was  all  pretty,  appropriate,  expensive  and  super- 
fluously abundant.  There  was  even  a  book-case 
filled  with  the  works  of  choice  authors,  although 
Ethel  read  nothing  but  the  daily  papers  and  the 
current  novels — and  very  little  of  these. 

There  were  a  great  many  ornaments  on  all 
manner  of  projections.  The  bureau  was  a  be- 
wildering medley  of  jeweled  ivory  pieces  for  the 
toilet,  while  the  lounge  drawn  up  before  the  elab- 
orately tiled  fire-place  was  heaped  with  costly 
cushions.  An  easy-chair  of  ample  dimensions  and 
unfathomable  downiness  was  occupied  by  a  St. 
Bernard,  whose  name  Rex  stood  out  in  great  gold 
letters  on  his  leather  collar. 

Mrs.  Candace  began  to  think  of  her  other  friends 
at  Lakewood  with  a  dawning  sensation  of  relief. 
In  the  afternoon  she  would  go  away  for  an  hour  or 
two  to  see  Mrs.  Darlington  and  Mrs.  Caruthers. 
She  had  noticed  in  the  morning  paper  that  the 
Caruthers  were  at  the  "Lakewood."  And  then 
in  the  evening  Dr.  Brighteck  would  call. 

After  a  week  or  ten  days,  if  she  grew  too  weary 


Xafeewoofc.  79 

of  upholstery  and  youth,  she  would  take  rooms 
at  the  "  Laurel-in-the-Pines."  She  had  never 
been  there,  but  its  chateau-like  appearance,  the 
trees  apparently  growing  in  and  through  the  very 
house,  and  the  fact  that  it  would  be  near  enough 
for  her  to  run  over  and  see  Ethel  every  day  gave 
her  a  liking  for  it.  As  soon  as  she  had  settled  it 
in  her  own  mind  that  she  had  a  way  of  escape, 
she  came  back  with  a  pleasant  interest  to  the 
morning's  gossip. 

The  breakfast  having  been  removed,  Mrs. 
Grace's  maid  fluttered  about  the  bed,  bathing  anew 
her  mistress'  face  and  hands.  The  cambric  gown 
with  its  embroidery  and  blue  ribbons  so  becom- 
ing to  Ethel's  frailty  and  fairness  was  taken 
off. 

Elizabeth  now  watched  the  mysteries  of  a 
transformation  that  with  all  her  knowledge  of  the 
world  surprised  and  electrified  her. 

Draper  brought  from  the  dressing-room  a  white 
silk  gown  with  bouffant  sleeves  and  cut  half  low 
in  the  neck.  This  she  slipped  upon  Ethel,  then 
clasped  a  necklace  of  very  handsome  stones — al- 
ternate sapphires,  diamonds,  and  rubies — around 
the  slender,  exposed  throat,  changed  the  pillows  so 
that  the  little  blonde  head  seemed  hardly  to 
crease  the  fine  fresh  linen,  and,  when  the  tableau 
seemed  completed,  gave  Mrs.  Grace  a  pair  of  long 
lavender  suede  gloves. 


8o  lafcewoofc. 

"  What,  dear  Ethel,  what  are  you  getting  ready 
for?" 

"  Why,  for  calls.  For  the  doctor  first,  then 
Portia  and  whoever  happens  to  come.  Theodore 
said  he  would  ask  Dr.  Brighteck  to  step  in — or  I 
would  have  tried  to  get  up  earlier.  You  will  ex- 
cuse my  informality  with  you,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  child ;  only  get  well  and  strong. 
But  I  think  you  are  very  imprudent  to  expose 
your  throat  in  this  way.  Remember  it  is  March." 

"  Oh,  I  am  used  to  it.  Why,  to-night  I  shall 
wear  a  low  dinner  dress.  If  I  begin  to  cover  up 
my  throat  and  neck,  I  may  go  on  forever." 

She  began  to  draw  on  the  gloves. 

"  I  wear  these  to  preserve  my  hands.  Theo- 
dore is  extravagantly  fond  of  beautiful  hands,  and 
mine  he  thinks  the  prettiest  he  has  ever  seen.  It 
costs  a  lot  though  to  keep  in  new  gloves  morning, 
noon,  and  night.  Do  you  think — Portia  would 
mind — if  I  offered  her  my  old  gloves  ?  Our  hands 
are  exactly  of  a  size.  I  don't  soil  them  much, 
and  I  never  have  them  cleaned.  She  could  get 
them  cleaned,  though,  and  I  should  think  they 
would  be  a  help  to  her.  Do  you  think  she  would 
mind  ?  " 

"  I  think  she  would,"  said  Mrs.  Candace  crisply. 
"  I  don't  think  she  will  ever,  under  any  circum- 
stances, reach  the  'old  clothes  '  condition.'" 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  I  asked  you.     I   felt  sure   you 


Xafcewood.  81 

would  know.  I  wouldn't  offend  her  or  hurt  her 
for  the  world.  It  is  a  pity  to  throw  them  away, 
though.  That  does  seem  extravagant !  " 

"  Why  don't  you  give  Portia  something  new  if 
you  want  to  make  her  a  present  ?  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  make  her  a  present.     I  simply 
want  to  get  rid  of  the  gloves." 

"  Oh !  " 
6 


82  XafeewooD. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PORTIA  read  several  chapters  of  her  story  after 
Mr.  Mallory  left  her.  She  read  compulsorily. 

In  a  short  time  the  sun  disappeared  from  the 
opening  where  she  was  sitting.  As  soon  as  it 
became  shady  she  felt  chilly. 

She  rose,  stretched  herself  slightly,  drew  a  long 
breath  and  looked  around.  The  place  was  as 
solitary  as  a  desert.  There  was  a  light  wind 
tossing  the  tops  of  the  trees,  the  sky  was  vivid. 
She  walked  under  the  trees  towards  the 
lake.  There  was  a  broad  path  skirting 
its  entire  margin.  She  could  easily  walk 
the  three  miles  before  luncheon.  Besides,  she  felt 
vacuous  after  her  effort  of  the  evening  before. 

As  soon  as  she  had  decided  to  take  the  walk 
around  the  lake,  a  shadow  of  solicitude  lurking 
about  her  mouth  passed  away.  She  had  been 
wondering  whether  she  must  give  up  her  log  in 
the  woods  because  of  Mr.  Mallory. 

Other  people  had  passed  her  while  she  sat 
there,  some  looking  as  if  she  were  a  foolhardy 
young  woman  doing  her  best  to  contract  rheuma- 
tism, others  glancing  at  her  casually  and  going 


ILafeewooO.  83 

on.  No  one  before  had  ever  stopped.  She  had 
chosen  her  haunt  far  enough  away  from  the  hotels 
to  make  it  seem  inaccessible. 

She  had  told  Mr.  Mallory  that  she  came  there 
every  day — "  What  if  I  did  ?  "  she  said  defensively 
to  herself.  But  she  wished  she  had  not  told  him, 
for  while  his  manner  was  indifferent  and  careless, 
she  realized  that  when  he  got  up  and  went  on,  he 
did  not  wish  to  do  so. 

She  was  a  woman  into  whom  circumstances 
had  drilled  many  perceptions  while  leaving  her 
sweet-tempered.  She  knew  it  was  about  the 
rarest  thing  in  the  world,  in  the  society  to  which 
Mr.  Mallory  belonged,  and  to  which  she  be- 
longed a  few  years  ago,  for  the  poor  and  the  rich 
to  meet  together,  intimately,  familiarly,  incident- 
ally, at  all  hours,  and  on  a  perfectly  level  footing. 
There  were  functions,  there  were  occasions,  there 
were  places  where  they  could  do  so  and  did  so  ; 
such  as  funerals,  weddings,  lectures,  concerts, 
where  the  function  meant  numbers  rather  than 
exclusiveness  dependent  on  social  position  and 
individual  expenditure. 

Portia  had  now  been  a  member  of  both  sides 
of  this  equation.  She  understood  the  separation 
was  the  fault  of  neither  side. 

The  poor  had  not  the  money,  even  if  they  had 
family,  taste,  culture,  or  the  valuable  faculty  of 
good  company.  The  rich  could  not,  even  if  they 


84  lafeewooft. 

would,  make  themselves  the  almoners  of  the 
poor.  She  knew  that  because  of  a  law  and  logic 
with  which  humanity  had  nothing  whatever  to 
do,  that  "  to  him  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and 
from  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even 
that  which  he  hath." 

If  Mr.  Mallory  should  want  to  know  her,  she 
couldn't  know  him.  In  the  first  place  she  boarded 
in  a  shabby  little  cottage  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
town.  She  had  a  comfortable  room  at  the  top  of 
the  house,  but  there  was  no  decent  place  for 
callers.  If  he  should  ask  her  to  drive  behind 
those  high-stepping  horses,  fastened  tandem,  she 
hadn't  a  hat  or  a  cloak  that  could  bear  the 
elevation  of  his  equipages.  It  had  been  all  and 
a  little  more  than  she  could  do  to  get  warm 
winter  flannels  and  one  new  dress  for  the  lectures. 
She  unconsciously  drew  her  slender  shoulders 
together  as  she  thought  of  the  inadequacy  of  that 
dress  for  general  purposes.  She  recalled  Mrs. 
Grace's  large  dressing-room,  lined  with  mirror- 
panelled-closets  for  holding  Worth  and  Doucet 
gowns.  She  could  pack  her  entire  wardrobe  into 
one  small  trunk ;  she  had  felt  its  meagreness 
where  she  was  boarding,  while  gazing  at  a  row  of 
empty  hooks  in  her  closet  for  which  she  had  ab- 
solutely no  use. 

It  was  three  years  since  she  had  started  on  the 
new  life  with  her  pittance  of  four  hundred  a  year 


XafcewooD.  85 

and  an  immense  wardrobe.  She  had  made  over 
some  garments  and  worn  out  others,  and  had  been 
well  and  often  beautifully  dressed  till  this  winter. 
Now  she  had  but  three  gowns  that  would  bear  a 
woman's  casual  inspection  ;  the  new  one  for  the 
lectures  and  two  others. 

She  was  not  unhappy.  She  simply  realized 
she  had  come  to  a  turning-point  where  she 
must  retire  into  a  remote  country  town  to  live 
or  unearth  a  talent.  She  could  not  contemplate 
with  equanimity  a  mollusk  existence.  There 
wasn't  an  atom  of  the  barnacle  in  her  nature. 
When  Mrs.  Darlington,  therefore,  proposed  the 
lectures,  she  grasped  eagerly  at  the  opportunity. 

Now  that  she  had  fairly  entered  upon  her  field, 
she  began  to  shrink  from  her  own  limitations 
and  to  realize  with  a  singularly  honest  grasp 
the  possibly  evanescent  value  of  the  whole  situa- 
tion. 

She  must  finish  the  course  though.  Doubtless 
the  public  lecture  at  the  hotel  and  two  offers 
received  for  separate  ones  would  help  eke  out  her 
expenses  till  late  spring,  and  then  she  could  retire 
for  the  summer  to  a  farm-house  in  the  Alle- 
ghanies.  It  was  not  a  brilliant  prospect,  but  she 
did  not  consider  it  a  cheerless  one. 

She  reached  the  lake  with  a  little  glow  in  her 
thin  cheeks.  There  was  no  longing  expectation 
of  delightfully-unforeseen  possibilities  in  the  fine 


86  Xafcewoofc. 

curves  of  her  firmly  set  lips.  Ardent  hopes  had 
bidden  her  farewell. 

She  glanced  at  her  watch.  Yes,  she  would 
have  time  to  take  the  walk  around  the  lake  and 
stop  in  afterward  to  see  what  Ethel  wanted. 

A  long,  solitary  walk  is  conducive  to  retrospec- 
tion. She  became  retrospective. 

She  made  several  artless  attempts  to  escape  from 
what  she  knew  was  for  her  a  dangerous  experience. 
She  was  perfectly  well  aware  that  if  she  let  her- 
self think  of  the  past  standing  back  of  the  last 
three  years  like  some  wonderful,  splendid  mirage, 
she  would  be  completely  undone  for  a  day  or  two. 
She  hadn't  time  just  now  for  any  luxury  of 
memory  or  feeling  that  would  reduce  her  work- 
ing power  for  the  lectures. 

She  looked  at  the  pines,  trying  to  estimate  how 
old  they  were  and  whether  it  was  true,  as  some 
said,  that  the  lake  was  artificial.  She  did  not 
care  whether  it  was  or  not.  At  least  the  water 
wasn't  condensed  steam  ;  it  surely  came  right 
from  the  clouds  or  from  dark,  cool,  gurgling 
streams  finding  their  way  to  the  surface.  And 
the  tall,  straight  trees,  with  their  stiff  needle 
foliage,  no  man  made  them  or  even  grouped  them 
together.  The  best  part  of  Lakewood  was  one  of 
God's  free  acts,  and  whoever  would  might  own 
the  magnificent  skies  and  the  music  of  the 
mighty  sea  of  trees  stretching  for  miles  to  the 


Xaftewoofc.  87 

ocean  like  an  emerald  pavement  catching  the 
glow  of  the  sun  and  making  a  floor  for  the  feet  of 
the  winds.  . 

She  walked  for  a  time  with  a  freer,  more  buoy- 
ant step  as  one  of  God's  children. 

And  then  the  memory  of  old  days  swept  over 
her  with  sudden  force.  Such  a  little  while  ago  she 
was  the  centre,  making  the  best  of  all  the  good 
times  for  her  circle  of  friends.  Alice  Downing 
was  now  Mrs.  Thomas  Caruthers ;  Alice,  so 
lovely,  so  poor,  and  so  dependent.  Portia  saw 
Alice  sitting  before  her,  the  previous  evening,  in 
velvet  and  jewels,  more  beautiful  than  ever,  and 
as  sweet  still  as  a  June  rose.  Well,  she  was  glad 
Tom  Caruthers  married  the  girl  of  his  choice  and 
courted  her  while  poor.  That  was  better  than 
to  be  courted  as  rich  and  forgotten  when  poor. 
Her  flexible  under-lip  quivered  and  she  dashed  a 
tear  aside.  Then  other  features  superseded  those 
of  Mrs.  Caruthers,  and  in  imagination  she  was  walk- 
ing towards  Mrs.  Darlington.  What  a  history 
of  apparently  fortunate  happenings !  How 
Florence  Darlington  had  bloomed  into  finer 
physical  beauty  than  her  youth  gave  promise  of, 
and  developed  into  more  of  a  woman  than 
any  one  dreamed  she  could  be  before. — 
She  remembered  Florence  as  a  school-girl,  a 
big,  good-natured,  frolicsome  school-girl,  not 
fond  of  books  but  a  general  favorite.  And 


88  XahewooO. 

then  had  come  her  trip  abroad  which  had  mod- 
ified her  a  little.  Then  had  followed  her 
strange,  romantic  marriage  to  one  whom  the 
people  called  "  the  man  of  destiny."  What 
facile  powers  of  adaptation  and  perception  the 
unexpected  magnificence  of  her  opportunities 
had  revealed  in  her.  It  was  already  no  longer 
easy  to  dwell  on  the  limitations  of  a  young 
woman  who  in  a  few  years  had  met  every  not- 
able person  of  official  importance  in  the  country, 
who  with  each  added  social  experience  had  il- 
lustrated the  capacity  of  the  typical  American 
woman  upon  whom  is  thrust  an  unusual  im- 
portance. How  prudent  Florence  had  been. 
How  general  her  social  knowledge  for  national 
purposes  had  become.  Portia  seemed  to  see 
Mrs.  Darlington's  alert  brown  eyes,  to  be  watch- 
ing the  calm,  discreet  reticence  of  her  manner, 
as  well  as  her  sweet,  generous  impulsiveness,  still 
only  needing  the  slightest  occasion  to  call  it  forth. 
She  felt  glad  for  Florence  too. 

And  Elizabeth  Hamilton.  She  was  a  little 
older  than  the  rest  of  them,  but  always  supe- 
rior, because  of  some  undefinable  spiritual  fore- 
shadowing accompanying  her  like  a  presence. 
What  joy,  what  sorrow  had  been  hers — deeper 
sorrow,  more  varied  joy — "  happiness  beyond 
what  I  have  the  capacity  for  appreciating," 
thought  Portia.  She  lingered  over  the  large, 


fcaftewoofc.  89 

sweet  sympathy,  the  dignity  of  protection  in 
look  and  manner  she  had  felt  the  evening  before, 
paying  the  glad  tribute  one  woman  does  to 
another  whose  attitude  is  comprehensive  and 
maternal  towards  those  less  fortunately  placed. 
She  forgot  herself  in  sincerely  rejoicing  that 
Mrs.  Candace  had  wealth  still,  and  in  believ- 
ing that  the  wealth  would  be  sacrificed  raptu- 
rously for  just  one  touch  of  a  vanished  hand, 
for  "  the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still." 

She  had  been  walking  very  rapidly,  her 
slender  body  well  bent  forward,  her  eyes  on  the 
path  before  her.  She  said  to  herself  as  a  final 
summary :  "  Of  all  of  us  I  think  I  was  the  besi 
adapted  for  the  change  of  fortune.  There  is  a 
kind  of  toughness  about  me,  a  power  of  resist- 
ance." 

A  stronger  flash  of  sunlight  made  her  look  up — 
"  Why,  I  have  completed  the  circuit  of  the  lake." 

She  glanced  at  her  watch  again.  Yes,  there 
was  time  to  see  Ethel. 

She  hurried  along  a  path  diverging  from  the 
shore.  A  very  few  minutes  brought  her  to  the 
Graces.' 

"  Mrs.  Grace  asks  if  you  will  please  come  up  to 
her  room,  Miss,"  said  Draper,  appearing  presently 
in  the  door  of  the  drawing-room. 

Throwing  her  shabby  fur  aside,  Portia  followed 
the  maid  upstairs. 


9o 


Zafcewoofc. 


For  a  brief  instant  she  was  bewildered  over 
Ethel's  startling  toilet  and  surroundings.  She 
felt  as  if  she  were  in  a  French  bedchamber  salon 
of  the  XVIII  Century.  Then  the  illusion  passed 
away. 

Ethel  had  noticed  and  rejoiced  in  the  impression 
she  made.  She  was  so  small,  so  airy,  so  really 
childish,  while  still  always  shrewd.  She  had  the 
vanity  of  wishing  to  impress  Portia  above  all 
others  with  what  must  seem  unattainable  ease 
and  sumptuousness. 

"  You  may  go,  Draper.     I'll  ring  if  I  need  you." 

The   plain,    middle-aged    Scotchwoman    with- 


Portia  noticed  with  amused  astonishment  a  huge 
silver  bell,  as  large  as  a  cow-bell,  standing  on  a 
table  beside  the  bed.  It  was  covered  with  en- 
graved quotations  from  Schiller's  Song  of  the  Bell. 
Its  size  was  absurdly  disproportionate  to  Ethel's 
small,  slender  hand. 

They  talked  a  long  time  about  nothings,  Portia 
expecting  every  minute  an  explanation  why 
Ethel  had  begged  her  so  particularly  to  come 
in  this  morning,  for  their  friendship  was  not  of  a 
nature  to  warrant  informal  visiting.  A  little  clock 
on  the  mantel  struck  one.  Portia  rose  and  said 
she  must  go. 

"  Come  again,  do.  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you 
looking  perfectly  well  after  last  night.  You  were 


Zafcewoofc.  91 

so  pale  when  you  came  downstairs  that  I  was 
afraid  for  a  minute  you  would  break  down.  You 
didn't  though,"  added  Ethel  in  a  tone  of  praise. 
"  You  went  right  through  that  lecture  as  if  you 
knew  it  by  rote.  What  a  memory  !  " 

Portia  did  not  feel  very  much  complimented. 
She  was  quite  sure,  however,  that  Ethel  conveyed 
what  must  have  been  the  general  impression — "  a 
lesson  learned,  a  feat  of  memory." 

"  Good-bye.  Come  again  soon.  Oh,  do  not 
make  an  engagement  for  next  Thursday  evening. 
I'm  going  to  give  a  dinner,  and  I  want  you  here. 
You  haven't  any  engagement,  have  you  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then  you  will  come  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Portia  pleasantly,  nodding 
assent,  and  wondering  if  it  were  the  dinner  Mrs. 
Grace  had  in  mind  when  she  begged  her  to  be 
sure  to  call.  She  would  rather  have  received  the 
first  intimation  by  letter.  This  would  have  given 
her  time  to  think  it  over  before  accepting  or  de- 
clining. On  the  way  home  she  realized  that  she 
had  accepted  with  impulsive  readiness. 

The  dinner-party  was  a  sudden  thought  on 
Ethel's  part,  having  its  birth  after  Portia  had  risen 
to  go.  It  excused  the  gloves  to  her  conscience. 
How  glad  she  was  she  hadn't  made  that  blunder. 

"  She  doesn't  look  like  *  old  clothes  ',"  thought 
Ethel,  after  Portia  had  left.  "  Her  dress  was 


92  laftewoofc. 

worn.  She  isn't  much  larger  than  I  am,  but  I 
couldn't  look  as  well  dressed  as  she  did  to-day 
and  be  so  much  out  of  fashion." 

She  gazed  out  of  the  window  with  momentary 
gravity.  "  What  if  reverses  should  strike  her 
some  time — suddenly  as  they  had  Miss  Max." 

"  They  couldn't !  "  she  said  aloud. 

Then  she  lifted  the  huge  bell  with  some  effort 
and  rang  for  Draper. 


Xafcewoofc. 


93 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MRS.  CANDACE  was  famous  among  her  friends 
for  visiting  qualities. 

She  was  witty  and  sunny-tempered  without  the 
tiresome  brightness  which  sucks  out  the  vitality 
of  others.  She  shone  as  a  distinct  individuality, 
while  not  obliterating  the  personality  of  her  host- 
ess. She  said  many  complimentary  things,  not 
flattering,  but  discriminating.  She  had  a  truly 
kind  heart  and  an  abundant  charity,  far  removed 
from  the  feline  amiability  which  patronizes  the 
reputation  or  character  of  others.  She  was  a  woman 
sound  to  the  core,  a  friend  to  be  trusted. 

It  was  this  womanliness,  this  friendliness  with- 
out girlish  enthusiasms,  added  to  a  many-sided 
facility,  which  made  her  a  constant  surprise  ;  the 
envious  and  indifferent  were  forced  to  acquiesce 
in  the  epithet  invariably  applied  to  her — a  charm- 
iiig  woman. 

Charming  women  get  tired.  The  day  had  proved 
a  terribly  long,  monotonous  one  to  Elizabeth. 
She  had  read  and  talked  with  Ethel.  She  had 
glanced  over  the  morning  paper  and  a  new  mag- 
azine. She  had  relieved  Mrs.  Grace  by  mutual 


94  laftewooft. 

agreement  in  keeping  up  a  sparkling  conversation 
with  a  chance  guest  at  lunch.  She  had  driven  an 
hour  with  Ethel  in  the  pines.  Now  she  was  dressed 
for  dinner  and  in  the  drawing-room  a  whole  hour 
before  that  ceremonious  meal  would  be  served. 

Mr.  Grace  had  come  home,  and  it  was  safe  to 
presume  that  he  and  his  wife  were  happy  in  shar- 
ing confidences  after  a  day's  separation. 

The  strange,  neutral  loneliness  of  a  solitary  life 
settled  upon  Mrs.  Candace. 

She  walked  slowly  up  and  down  the  long  room, 
beautified  in  the  dim  light  of  turned  down  burn- 
ers and  the  red  glow  from  a  tall,  shaded  lamp. 
The  curtains  were  not  drawn.  The  waning  day- 
light maintained  an  obstinate  supremacy. 

She  went  to  the  window.  How  cold  and  bleak 
and  colorless  everything  looked. 

The  wide  drive  curving  to  the  west  was  deserted. 
The  wind  had  died  away,  and  the  woods  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  lake  looked  like  an  enormous 
patch  of  ink  against  the  pale  blue-gray  sky. 

A  figure  appeared  above  the  slope  leading  to  the 
water.  She  watched  it  striding  across  the  snow 
and  spongy  turf. 

It  was  Dr.  Brighteck. 

Presently  he  reached  the  main  thoroughfare  of 
the  park-like  enclosure  she  was  overlooking.  Glanc- 
ing at  the  house  as  he  drew  near,  he  saw  her  at 
the  window. 


XafcewooO. 


95 


A  fleeting  pang  swept  over  her.  Dr.  Brighteck 
had  been  her  first  lover.  How  many  years  ago 
it  seemed  now.  He  had  been  able  to  gradually 
assume  the  place  of  a  friend.  In  their  case  the 
relation  had  proved  a  harmless  one,  no  gaucheries 
ever  having  resulted  from  it.  She  gave  him  a 
great  deal  of  praise  in  her  secret  soul,  for  she  real- 
ized it  naturally  had  depended  on  him  more  than 
on  her  that  their  mutual  attitude  had  continued 
so  open  and  cordial. 

As  he  came  nearer,  the  eerie  loneliness  that  had 
settled  into  the  very  pores  of  her  being  passed 
away.  One  lover  for  a  life-time — one  husband — 
was  her  half-formulated  thought,  but  friends  as 
many  as  God  will  send,  for  she  felt  what  an  un- 
speakable loss  it  would  be  if  she  lost  her  hold  on 
Dr.  Brighteck. 

She  met  him  at  the  door,  lingering  in  the  hall 
while  he  jerked  one  short  arm  and  then  the  other 
out  of  his  overcoat.  She  looked  at  him  with  wel- 
coming frankness,  and  he  kept  gazing  at  her  while 
getting  out  of  his  coat  as  if  the  mere  sight  of  her 
did  him  good. 

"  How  are  you  ?  "     He  held  out  both  hands. 

She  took  them  and  they  stood  a  second  face  to 
face,  a  genuine  trust  on  either  side — that  close 
hand-clasp  a  fearless,  silent  acquiescence  on  the 
part  of  both  that  they  could  dare  be  friends. 

"  I  thought  I  would  drop  in  to  dinner  after  all," 


96  XaftewooO. 

he  said,  stepping  aside  to  let  her  pass  into  the 
drawing-room.  "  It  is  a  wonderfully  lonesome 
night,  don't  you  think  so  ?  It  must  be  this  March 
air." 

"  I  was  feeling  a  bit  eerie,  too,  before  I  saw  you. 
It  is  all  gone  now.  I  think  we  shall  find  it  cosier 
in  the  library.  There  is  an  open  fire  there." 

They  sat  down  on  either  side  of  the  hearth. 

Dr.  Brighteck  looked  around,  warming  his  hands 
while  he  did  so.  "  A  nice  sitting-room,  this.  Not 
much  of  a  library." 

"  They  will  build  a  house  of  their  own  one  of 
these  days,  when  they  are  older — when  they  have 
more  books." 

"  More  dishes,  you  mean.  You  need  never  ex- 
pect to  see  books  accumulate  around  Theodore 
and  Ethel.  Well,  it  takes  all  kinds  to  make  a 
world.  Theodore  is  a  first-rate  fellow — first-rate  ; 
I  haven't  a  bit  of  fault  to  find  with  him.  It  is 
poor  taste  to  pick  a  fellow's  house  to  pieces  when 
you  come  in  to  break  bread  with  him,  isn't  it  ?" 

"  You  were  thinking  aloud." 

He  smiled  appreciatively.  "  How  you  do  man- 
age to  keep  a  fellow  self-respecting." 

"  I  wouldn't  judge  every  man  as  gently  as  I  do 
you.  I  am  sure  you  would  just  as  soon  tell  Theo- 
dore as  me  that  you  think  his  library  inadequate." 

"  I  dare  say.  It  would  be  a  blunder,  however, 
wouldn't  it?  I  believe  in  allowing  every  poor 


97 

human  wretch  the  comfort  of  complacency  as  long 
as  possible  " 

She  smiled.  She  perceived  there  would  soon 
be  nothing  left  of  Mr.  Grace  or  his  home,  if  they 
continued.  Dr.  Brighteck  had  more  dangerous 
rights  of  relationship  than  she,  for  he  was  first 
cousin  to  their  host.  For  herself,  she  had  never 
believed  in  the  gratuitous  plain-speaking,  often 
the  only  indication  of  what  the  old  Saxons  called 
the  blood-bond. 

"  Tell  me  about  the  '  Laurel-in-the-Pines,'  "  she 
said,  presently. 

He  glanced  at  her  discriminatingly.  He  rubbed 
his  plump  hands  together  a  few  times,  dropped 
his  eyes  on  the  floor,  a  smile  hovering  about  his 
full,  keen,  yet  generous  mouth. 

"  It  wouldn't  be  a  bad  place  at  all — in  case  you 
wanted  to  make  a  change.  I'm  stopping  there. 
So  is  Mallory,  by  the  way.  Between  us  we  would 
take  good  care  of  you." 

"  You  are  very  suspicious.  I  haven't  said  I 
dreamed  of  making  a  change." 

"  I'll  give  you  my  word  for  it — you  can't  stand 
it  here  more  than  a  week.  Come  over  to  the 
'  Laurel-in-the-Pines ' — do  !  You  can  run  in  here 
every  day  to  see  how  Ethel  is  getting  along. 
Poor  Ethel !  "  He  shook  his  head,  and  his  genial 
smile  disappeared. 

"  O,  she  is  the  most  heedless,  reckless  girl,  for 
7 


98  fcafcewoofc. 

one  in  her  state  of  health.  In  bed  all  the  morn- 
ing— the  temperature  of  her  room  at  80.  Driving 
this  afternoon  in  a  victoria  and  with  no  wrap  on 
but  a  little  fur-edged  cape,  just  because  she 
wanted  to  appear  in  her  latest  carriage  dress — 
and  to-night  in  a  dinner  gown  with  her  arms 
and  throat  exposed.  She  will  take  a  cold  and  be 
gone  in  a  week — forever !  " 

"  You  can't  do  anything  with  her.  I  gave  it  up 
long  ago." 

"  But  you  are  her  physician  !  " 

"  Goodness  gracious,  Elizabeth — a  physician 
isn't  God !  " 

He  plucked  his  sturdy,  thick-set  little  figure 
upright.  "  A  doctor  can  give  advice  and  prescribe. 
He  can't  force  common-sense  down  people's 
throats." 

"  Do  try  and  persuade  her  to  be  more  careful.'' 

"  Now  that  is  what  I  call  a  truly  feminine  itera- 
tion. I  explain  the  case  to  you,  and  then  you 
mildly  beg  me  to  do  exactly  what  I  declare  I 
can't  do.  Hark !  They  are  coming  down." 

There  was  a  stifled  giggle  on  the  stairs,  then  a 
hearty,  rollicking,  contagious,  masculine  laugh. 

"  There  is  an  everlasting  joke  between  those 
two,"  said  Dr.  Brighteck,  laughing  also.  "  I  de- 
clare I  sometimes  think  they  will  laugh  Ethel 
well.  They  are  a  perfect-  example  of  a  happy 
marriage  because  of  their  perception  of  their  own 


XafcewooO. 


99 


mediocrity  and  their  consequent  good  luck  in 
having  nothing  expected  of  them  but  hospitality.  I 
have  told  them  exactly  the  same  thing,"  he  added, 
apologetically.  "  They  don't  mind  themselves. 
It  is  only  the  house  they  might  feel  sensitive 
about." 

Elizabeth  went  forward  to  the  drawing-room. 
Ethel  was  already  in  the  centre,  her  hands  clasped 
over  her  husband's  arm,  her  laughing  face  against 
his  shoulder.  She  loosened  her  hold  as  Mrs.  Can- 
dace  and  Dr.  Brighteck  advanced,  drawing  herself 
up  with  a  pretty  arrangement  of  her  train. 

"  There,  what  do  you  think  of  this  dress  ?  I 
knew  very  well  you  would  come  over  " — shaking 
her  finger  at  the  doctor — "  when  Angora  told  you 
we  should  be  alone  to-night.  We  are  each  much 
obliged  to  you,  I'm  sure.  Stand  aside,  pussy,  till 
dear  Mrs.  Elizabeth  tells  me  what  she  thinks  of 
my  gown." 

"  I  like  the  train  and  the  color  and  the  fit.  It 
is  most  becoming.  But  aren't  you  cold  ?  " 

"Cold?     No,  indeed." 

She  arched  her  slender  throat,  around  which 
was  clasped  a  band  of  turquoises  and  pearls.  Her 
fingers  were  crowded  with  rings. 

"  It  is  very  neat,  isn't  it,  Dr.  Brighteck,"  and 
Theodore  nodded  complacently  at  the  necklace. 
"  Ethel's  got  a  pretty  throat,  no  mistake." 

"  I'd  like  to  take  her  throat   for  granted  on  a 


ioo 


raw  night  like  this.  The  gown  and  she  are  beau- 
tiful, as  a  matter  of  course,  but  I'm  shivering  this 
very  minute." 

"  Dear,  dear,  what  a  sensitive  plant  you  are. 
Theodore,  tell  Buxton  to  have  more  heat  turned 
on.  You  still  wear  black  silk,  Mrs.  Candace.  It 
is  rather  severe,  especially  with  the  present  gay 
fashions  —  but  you  always  look  well  in  it." 

Mrs.  Candace  certainly  appeared  vastly  Ethel's 
superior  in  a  simply-made  rich  silk,  whose  long  folds, 
unrelieved  by  lace  or  jet,  swept  the  floor.  A 
single  diamond  of  rare  beauty  and  unusual  size 
fastened  her  gown  at  the  throat,  and  but  one 
ring  —  an  emerald  set  in  diamonds  —  called  atten- 
tion to  her  hands.  People  often  said  she  made 
the  frame  less  attractive  than  the  picture  on  prin- 
ciple. 

The  portieres  were  drawn  and  dinner  an- 
nounced. 

"  I'll  be  like  Rosina  Yokes  in  '  A  Diamond  in 
the  Rough,'  "  said  Ethel,  as  she  inspected  her 
oysters.  "  We  are  going  to  have  a  lot  of  good 
things  for  dinner  to-night,  and  I  hope,  '  mi  Lord,'  " 
bowing  to  Dr.  Brighteck,  "you've  an  appetite 
accordin'." 

"  Terrapin,  too  !  "  glancing  at  her  husband  and 
laughing. 

"Theodore  dined  once  with  people  —  I  can't 
imagine  who  they  could  have  been  —  but  that's  no 


XafcewooO.  1 01 

matter — and  they  asked  him  if  he  knew  what  it 
was  when  the  terrapin  was  served.  When  he 
committed  the  awful  mistake  of  naming  the  dish 
his  hostess  said  anxiously — '  It's  very  expen- 
sive.' " 

"  Couldn't  eat  a  mouthful  of  it,  after  that.  I 
was  afraid  I  was  robbing  them.  I  am  sure  they 
put  their  last  cent  in  that  terrapin." 

"  Were  they  the  Lorrieves  of  '  Boston  '  ?  "  asked 
Dr.  Brighteck,  imitating  Mrs.  Lorrieve's  flat  pro- 
nunciation inimitably — "  the  Lorrieves  who  live 
on  '  Chester  Square  ? ' — '  A  nice  place  ' !  " 

"  Are  they  down  here  ?  "  Ethel's  eyes  were  as 
round  as  saucers.  "  Where  are  they  stopping  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure  they  have  alighted.  They  have 
been  a  half  day  in  one  of  the  cottages,  two  days 
at  the  Palmer  House,  and  this  afternoon  they  ap- 
peared at  the '  Laurel-in-the-Pines '.  Mrs.  Lorrieve 
assured  me  as  soon  as  I  saw  her  that  they  had 
made  good  terms, — '  Party-four  dollars  a  week, 
two  in  a  room,'  and  that  if  one  only  knew  how 
to  manage,  the  chateau  was  as  cheap  as  other 
places." 

"  They  must  have  one  of  those  small  inside 
dark  rooms.  They  will  burrow  there  nights,  live 
in  the  corridors  and  parlors  day-times,  and  cut  a 
swell  with  driving  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,"  said 
Mr.  Grace  to  Dr.  Brighteck. 

"  How  did  you  ever  happen  to  dine  with  the 


102  Xaftewooo. 

Lorrieves,  Theodore  ?  "  Mrs.  Candace  was  look- 
ing into  his  pink,  boyish  face  with  perplexity  and 
curiosity. 

"  I  found  myself  there.  It  is  about  all  I  can 
say.  Mrs.  Lorrieve  could  tell  you.  Heavens ! 
what  a  terrible  eye  she  has.  She  fixed  me  with  it 
one  day  when  I  wanted  to  buy  a  piece  of  land  of 
her  husband.  She  held  the  deed — to  get  it  I  had 
to  dine  with  her.  I  couldn't  even  look  at  terra- 
pin for  a  year." 

"  Her  daughter  isn't  so  bad,"  said  Dr.  Brighteck 
contemplatively.  "  She  looks  happier  than  she 
did  a  year  ago,  too." 

"  Perhaps  she  is  engaged,"  said  Ethel,  to  whom 
this  state  was  the  threshold  of  perpetual  happiness. 

"  I  rather  think  she  is,"  said  the  little  doctor, 
"  for  Mrs.  Lorrieve  told  me  they  wanted  to  be 
where  their  '  frinds '  could  come,  as  her  '  darter 
expected  company  fer  Sundays '." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  such  people  could  get  in  at 
the  ' Laurel-in-the-Pines  ',  "  said  Ethel.  "The 
house  has  the  reputation  of  being  so  ultra  ex- 
clusive." 

"  Humph  !  "  said  Dr.  Brighteck.  "  There  is 
only  one  Lorrieve  in  a  century  who  could  tolerate 
such  a  quiet  place  as  the  chateau.  Mrs.  Lorrieve 
is  always  and  everywhere  on  a  campaign  for  ac- 
quaintances. She  expects  that  simple-minded, 
vapid  daughter  to  take  and  keep  possession  of  the 


Xaftewood.  103 

territory  she  conquers.  Her  staff  though  is  not 
equal  to  her  generalship." 

"  Are  they  wealthy  ? "  asked  Ethel,  prepared 
to  be  a  little  less  aggressive  if  their  fortune  were 
immense. 

"  Wealthy  !  "  exclaimed  Theodore  pompously. 
"  There  is  no  end  to  their  riches.  It  started  in  a 
whisky-hole  on  Third  Avenue — she  '  tendin'  the 
bar '  while  Mr.  Lorrieve  went  out  to  day's  work 
as  a  carpenter.  Then  he  or  she  gained  a  little 
influence  and  considerable  money  from  the 
whisky.  He  became  a  contractor  with  political 
ambitions.  First  he  was  made  alderman,  then  sat 
on  the  Public  School  board  of  New  York — then 
he  got  his  hand  into  the  City  contracts,  then  she 
made  their  liquor  business  a  wholesale  one,  then 
they  moved  with  one  leap  from  rooms  over  their 
store  to  a  house  of  their  own  on  Madison  Avenue, 
and  finally,  three  years  ago,  not  succeeding  socially 
in  New  York,  they  moved  to  Boston,  where  I  hear 
they  are  better  received." 

"  How  long  ago  did  you  dine  with  them, 
Angora  ?  " 

"  O,  three  or  four  years  ago." 

"You  haven't  any  business  relations  with  them 
any  longer,  have  you  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then  you  need  not  know  them,  of  course,  if 
we  should  meet." 


104  la  he  WOOD. 

"  I  know  them  !  "  he  roared.  "  She  will  know 
me  till  the  end  of  time — and,  take  my  word  for 
it,  dear,  she  will  know  you  too  before  she  leaves 
Lakewood,  when  she  finds  out  we  have  a  cottage 
here." 

"  She  shall  not,"  replied  Ethel,  with  an  angry 
flash  in  eye  and  voice. 

"  O,  she  will !  "  insisted  the  doctor  cheerfully. 
"  This  is  her  second  season  here.  She  understands 
the  field,  and  you  may  be  sure  the  campaign  will 
be  brilliant." 

"  I  think  we  shall  get  demoralized  if  we  discuss 
the  Lorrieves  further,"  said  Mrs.  Candace  with  a 
smile  which  relegated  them  to  polar  regions 
socially.  "  What  did  you  hear  about  the  Conti- 
nental, Theodore,  in  the  City  to-day?  I  have 
some  money  in  that  road,  and  I  want  to  know 
whether  to  sell  at  22  or  hold  on." 

"  Hold  on !  "exclaimed  both  men  in  chorus. 

"  Grace,"  said  the  doctor  presently,  "  which 
is  better  property  these  days — little  brains 
with  much  capital  or  large  brains  with  small 
capital?" 

"  Capital  and  small  brains.  Farrington  had 
brains  enough  to  manage  the  Continental.  You 
might  as  well  try  to  scoop  up  the  Atlantic  though 
as  to  touch  to-day  any  of  the  established 
monopolies.  Of  course  there  is  no  telling  but 
that  Farrington  might  have  succeeded  if  he  had 


fcafcewoofc. 


IOS 


manipulated  more  cautiously,  and  hadn't  tried  to 
haul  in  Provincial  stock." 

"  Have  you  ever  read  the  history  of  the  Italian 
Republics  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  Never  had  time.  Read  nothing  but  the  pa- 
pers. Take  them  all — '  Sun,'  '  Tribune/  '  Times/ 
'  World/  «  News/  '  Post/  '  Telegram/  '  Herald  ' 
and  '  Press/  I  keep  abreast  of  the  present  on 
account  of  investments.  I  cleared  five  thousand 
to-day, — not  much — but  it  was  done  so  neatly 
that  I  take  pride  in  it.  It  all  came  from  reading 
the  papers,  too." 

"  You  ought  to  read  about  those  Italian  Re- 
publics. They  can  teach  us  Americans  a  lesson 
or  two.  They  read  like  a  history  of  our  own 
times,  to  quote  from  Justin  McCarthy.  A  bandit 
steals  a  city,  the  people  grumble.  He  gives  them 
a  cathedral ;  they  applaud  his  generosity.  Or,  a 
peasant  murders  a  score  of  nobles,  seizes  their 
palaces  and  treasures,  and,  as  an  atonement, 
marries  the  most  beautiful  of  their  women.  Steal- 
ing and  public  munificence  went  hand  in  hand  in 
those  days.  We  would  never  have  had  Italian 
Art  if  we  had  not  had  Italian  monopoly  of  land, 
city  and  democracy.  The  Pitti,  the  Uffizi,  etc., 
are  the  splendid  monuments  of  the  downfall  of 
the  Italian  Republics." 

"  Do  read  the  matter  up  for  me,  Angora. 
It  would  be  something  new  to  talk  about,  too. 


io6  Zafcewoofc. 

It  does  make  me  so  tired  to  read  anything  solid," 
she  added,  with  an  impatient  wrinkling  of  her 
pretty  brow,  "  but  more  weary  to  see  the  men 
when  I  go  up  to  the  city  mornings,  each  with  a 
paper,  and  all  looking  as  if  they  were  finding  their 
death-warrants." 

"  The  terrapin  !  "  said  Dr.  Brighteck,  glancing 
at  the  plate  the  butler  put  before  him. 

Then  they  all  laughed,  and  the  conversation 
was  diverted  to  stories  of  Maryland  bon  vivants. 


lafcewoofc. 


107 


CHAPTER  X. 

MR.  KENT  left  his  daughter  and  Miss  Beadle 
delightfully  situated  at  the  "  Lakewood."  He 
remained  over  night  to  see  them  eligibly  placed 
in  the  dining-room. 

The  next  morning  Millicent  rose  early  to  break- 
fast alone  with  him  and  have  a  last  little  tender 
farewell ;  for  she  loved  her  father  and  felt  proud 
of  his  reputation,  being  as  full  on  her  part  as  he 
was  on  his  of  material  ambitions. 

The  point  of  dangerous  possible  issue  between 
them  was  her  romanticism  which  was  lying  fallow 
but  tending  on  that  account  all  the  more  surely 
to  a  rich  harvest  of  contingencies  counter  to  her 
primer  of  the  science  of  life,  while  Mr.  Kent's 
romanticism  had  its  daily  outlet  in  enterprises 
soaring  in  his  imagination  like  cloud-capped 
palaces  but  often  settling  too  upon  a  very  solid 
base  in  materializing. 

After  the  stage  had  departed  down  the  sandy 
yellow  avenue,  and  when  the  flutter  of  the  daily 
morning  exodus  had  subsided,  the  young  girl 
hastened  upstairs  to  Miss  Beadle  who  had  dis- 
creetly ordered  breakfast  served  in  her  own  room 
this  morning. 


io8  XafcewooD. 

There  was  nothing  in  her  appearance  or  manner 
in  the  slightest  degree  ruffling.  She  was  a  wise 
old  bird  of  passage  whose  plumage  had  long  ago 
been  reduced  to  thorough  Bohemian-going  prop- 
erties. Time,  moreover,  had  neither  withered  nor 
wizened  her.  She  was  overflowing  with  good- 
humor,  affectionateness  and  cheerfulness.  She 
was  well  connected  and  with  sufficient  means  of 
her  own  to  never  need  sacrifice  her  independence 
and  to  give  herself  also  many  a  small  luxury, 
which  lent  to  her  whole  bearing  and  environment 
an  air  of  becoming  prosperity. 

These  alleviations  of  a  solitary  life  had  kept  her 
well-balanced.  She  was  not  prim.  She  did  not 
have  that  audacious  self-confidence  often  notice- 
able in  women  who  have  breasted  life  for  a  long 
time  unaided. 

Many  doors  were  open  to  her  because  she  was 
philosophically  content  to  take  what  was  given 
with  a  fine  air  of  apparent  conviction  that  she  was 
receiving  the  very  best. 

Millicent  and  she  were  excellent  friends  on  that 
level  so  common  between  girls  and  middle-aged 
women.  Millicent  had  an  endless  amount  of 
chatter,  and  Miss  Beadle  untiring  patience  and 
sympathy. 

"  He's  gone ! "  cried  the  young  girl,  bursting 
into  the  room.  "  I'm  a  desolate  orphan  ! "  And 
she  put  a  dainty,  lace-edged  handkerchief  to  her 


lafcewoofc.  109 

eyes  with  a  laughable  feint  at  crying.  "  Now  let's 
make  some  plans." 

Drawing  a  chair  beside  the  breakfast-table  and 
resting  one  foot  upon  a  round,  she  clasped  her 
knee  with  both  hands.  "  You  see  we  are  thrust 
upon  each  other's  cold  mercies  for  a  month  or 
more  and  I  think  we  had  better  have  an  under- 
standing at  the  very  beginning."  She  leaned 
over  slightly,  fixing  her  bright  eyes  on  her  com- 
panion. "Don't  you?" 

"  Why,  yes,  certainly — if  one  is  necessary. 
Don't  you  and  I  understand  each  other  pretty 
well  ?  " 

"  We  have  never  been  off  alone  together  in  this 
way,"  said  Millicent,  dubiously.  "  What  direc- 
tions did  papa  and  mamma  give  you  ?  We  will 
say  papa,"  she  added  with  a  little  laugh,  "  for 
mamma  thinks  exactly  as  he  does  to  an  absurd 
degree." 

"  Why,"  said  Miss  Beadle,  laughing  conta- 
giously, and  clasping  her  hands  while  staring  at 
the  ceiling,  "  the  usual  ones,  I  suppose." 

"  O,  I  know.  I'm  not  to  flirt.  As  if  I  ever  did  ! 
I'm  not  to  sit  up  too  late.  I'm  not  to  know 
anybody  unless  you  give  your  Papal  sanction." 

"  That  is  about  it,"  and  she  smiled,  while  pat- 
ting Millicent's  cheek. 

"  What  if  I  did  wish  to  know  some  one  of 
whom  you  did  not  approve  ?  " 


no  XafcewooD. 

"  We  won't  suppose  such  a  possibility." 

"  But  if  I  should." 

"Then — but  it  couldn't  happen,"  and  she 
laughed  between  the  words  in  a  caressing  way, 
"  you  would  become  conscious  of  your  chaperon. 
You  will  not  be  so  unkind,  my  dear,  as  to  cause 
me  the  slightest  anxiety." 

"  I  do  not  foresee  any  temptation  at  present," 
said  Millicent,  brightly.  "  I  have  been  looking 
over  the  register.  There  are  lots  of  nice  people 
here — but  no  one  I  care  very  much  for.  Do  you 
know  Mrs.  Caruthers?" 

"  Mrs.  Thomas  Caruthers  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  she  is  here." 

Miss  Beadle  looked  perplexed. 

"  Don't  you  like  her  ?  "  asked  Millicent  quick- 

iy. 

"  O,  yes — yes ;  very  much  indeed." 

"  What  made  you  look  so,  then  ?  " 

"  How  did  I  look? 

"  As  if  I  had  told  you  a  disagreeable  piece  of 
news." 

"  I  must  have  a  tell-tale  face." 

"  No,  you  haven't.  But  what  your  face  says  I 
can  read  like  a  book,"  said  the  young  girl  with 
youthful  confidence.  "  Why  are  you  sorry  Mrs. 
Caruthers  is  here  ? 

"  My  dear,  I  haven't  a  thing  in  the  world  against 
Mrs.  Caruthers.  On  the  contrary,  I  consider  her 


Xaftewoofc.  1 1 1 

charming — and  extraordinarily  beautiful.  She 
wasn't  at  dinner  last  night." 

"  Yes,  she  was,"  said  Millicent  with  animation. 
"  I  saw  her  leave  the  dining-room.  You  and 
papa  were  so  busy  talking,  I  hadn't  a  chance  to 
point  her  out  to  you. — What  if  I  should  make  up 
to  Mrs.  Caruthers — violently  !  What  would  you 
do?" 

"  Nothing." 

"  There  is  something  on  your  mind." 

"  O,  you  are  like  all  girls.  You  are  making  a 
mountain  out  of  a  mole-hill." 

Miss  Beadle  got  up,  walked  up  and  down  the 
room  two  or  three  times  and  went  to  the  window. 
— "  Have  you  looked  outside  this  morning?  " 

"  Yes,  I  can  tell  you  exactly  how  we  face. 
This  is  the  street  that  ends  nowhere.  That 
board-walk  goes  on  down  past  the  tennis  court. 
Then  if  you  go  far  enough  you  will  come  to 
a  sand  heap  where  the  nurses  and  children  sun 
themselves.  Then  if  you  face  about  you  will 
observe  across  the  street  near  where  it  ends  in 
the  woods  such  a  desolate,  desolate  looking  clear- 
ing with  pines  to  the  front  of  you,  pines  to  the 
back  of  you — a  dog  kennel  and  barn  to  the  left  in 
the  near  background — chickens  meandering  up 
the  front  steps  of  a  cottage  in  the  middle  of  the 
clearing — a  baby  carriage  every  morning  at  about 
eleven  in  front  of  the  cottage,  and,  at  irregular 


ii2  XafcewooD. 

intervals,  the  whole  length  of  the  aforesaid  board- 
walk, groups  of  women  sauntering  up  and  down 
apparently  for  exercise  but  really  to  see  the  daily 
procession  of  three  start  from  the  cottage — the 
baby,  the  nurse  and  the  dog." 

"  Do  the  Darlingtons  live  there?" 

"  Yes.  And  it  is  the  saddest,  dreariest,  lone- 
somest  spot.  If  I  did  not  happen  to  know  many 
pleasant  things  about  the  Darlingtons,  I  should 
say  it  was  a  fit  place  to  concoct  revolutions, 
uproot  parties,  dismember  coalitions — everything 
that  is  political."  And  Millicent's  piquant  nose 
puckered  in  disgust. 

"  When  did  you  see  all  this  ?  " 

"  Papa  and  I  took  a  turn  this  morning.  He 
wanted  like  every  one  else  to  have  a  look  at  the 
Darlington  cottage.  He  says  Mr.  Darlington 
will  never  be  elected  again.  I  asked  him  why 
they  were  living  in  such  a  forlorn  clearing  in  the 
woods  then." 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  He  said  he  supposed  they  were  retrench- 
ing." 

"  I  don't  believe  it.  They  are  recuperating, 
not  retrenching." 

"  I  should  say  you  and  papa  meant  exactly  the 
same  thing." 

"  Do  you  want  to  see  that  baby  so  very  much  ?  " 
now  asked  Millicent. 


Xaftewoofc.  1 13 

"  Yes,  of  course." 

"  Then  let  us  walk  down  that  way  about  noon, 
will  you  ?  " 

"  Very  well.  If  we  go,  I  must  begin  my  letters 
right  away." 

"  Why,  you  have  just  come." 

"  I  have  a  very  large  correspondence,"  said 
Miss  Beadle  impressively. 

Millicent  felt  mildly  curious  to  know  to  whom 
she  was  in  such  haste  to  write.  She  seemed  like 
such  an  unpossessed  woman.  But  any  close 
observer  of  her  correspondence  would  have  been 
filled  with  wonder  and  admiration  to  notice  the 
minuteness  with  which  she  attended  to  every 
small  epistolary  propriety.  It  won  and  main- 
tained for  her  a  host  of  friends. 

She  had  a  faculty  of  expression,  and  there  were 
family  "  In  Memoriams  "  neatly  bound  in  black, 
not  a  few  of  which,  among  "  Letters  from  friends  " 
contained  some  of  her  happiest  efforts.  This 
power  to  make  small  duties  large  was  one  of  the 
secrets  of  her  freedom  from  listlessness  or  despon- 
dency. It  also  nursed  in  her  the  comfortable 
feeling  of  a  full  life. 

When  Millicent  came  in  from  her  own  room, 
a  couple  of  hours  later,  ready  for  their  walk,  she 
was  astonished  to  see  the  neatly-assorted  pile  of 
letters  directed,  stamped  and  sealed. 

"  How  busy  you  have  been  !  " 
8 


ii4  Xafeewoofc. 

Miss  Beadle  looked  up  with  gratified  com- 
placency : 

"  I  have  hurried  a  little — but  the  rest  can  be 
held  over — I  think  " — and  she  rested  her  cheek 
in  her  hand  a  second — "  till  to-morrow.  Mrs. 
Fenwick,  I  notice  by  to-day's  paper,  has  lost  a 
connection,  a  second  cousin  on  her  father's  side. 
I  must  send  my  card  ;  but  that  can  wait  till  to- 
morrow. The  Granbys  have  written  to  know  if  I 
can  thoroughly  recommend  '  The  Larches  in  the 
Berkshires.'  I  couldn't  get  them  in  this  morn- 
ing. It  is  too  bad.  They  wish  to  settle  on  a 
place  for  the  summer  immediately.  Then  I  have 
been  made  an  honorary  member  of  the  '  Ladies' 
Anti-Bacillae  Society,'  a  very  praiseworthy  organ- 
ization. I  appreciate  the  attention,  and  do  not 
want  to  be  remiss  in  my  acknowledgment.  But 
I'll  put  my  things  right  away,  dear." 

"  Shall  I  take  the  teeny-tointy  ones  ?  "  asked 
Millicent,  picking  up  the  card  envelopes  and  idly 
counting  them. 

"  Yes,  please  do.  There  are  six.  Don't  drop 
any." 

"  No,"  said  the  young  girl,  wondering  if  she 
should  ever  feel  weighted  with  matters  which  cer- 
tainly at  present  gave  her  little  concern. 

Miss  Beadle,  handsomely  clad  in  a  new  seal 
cape  and  Paris  tocque,  gathered  her  remaining 
letters  and  the  pair  went  down  the  hall  with  that 


XafcewooD.  115 

gay  unconcern  which  can  come  to  the  idlest  only 
when  they  have  left  their  daily  haunts  and  duties. 
Near  the  elevator  they  met  Mrs.  Caruthers. 

Miss  Beadle  and  she  greeted  each  other  cor- 
dially, even  lingering  for  a  short  conversation,  but, 
although  there  was  ample  opportunity,  Millicent's 
chaperon  did  not  introduce  her. 

"  I  call  that  real  unkind  in  you,  Miss  Beadle," 
said  Millicent,  but  with  a  thoroughly  sweet- 
tempered  smile.  "  I  have  been  dying  to  know 
her  for  a  year." 

"  I'll  introduce  you  another  time.  I  dare  say 
we  shall  meet  often." 

"  Why  did  you  put  it  off  ? ' 

She  felt  sorry  she  had  acted  so  cautiously,  for 
thus  far  she  had  simply  piqued  her  young  friend's 
curiosity. 

"  Millicent  dear,"  she  said,  expostulatingly, 
"  how  was  I  to  know  you  were  so  very  anxious  to 
meet  Mrs.  Caruthers  ?  I'll  try  and  bring  you 
together  to-night." 

"Could  it  be?— it  couldn't  possibly!"  Milli- 
cent scouted  the  idea  as  silly,  that  Miss  Beadle 
desired  to  keep  her  away  from  Mrs.  Caruthers 
simply  because  Perth  Edwards  was  related  to  that 
lady.  This  would  indeed  be  carrying  caution  to 
an  absurd  limit. 

When  they  came  out  of  doors,  they  felt  at  once 
the  exhilaration  of  the  deliciously  cool  air  and 


n6  Xaftewoofc. 

clear  skies,  the  stir  of  pedestrians  and  of  those 
preparing  to  ride  or  drive. 

They  exchanged  glances  of  sympathetic  amuse- 
ment as  they  turned  down  the  North  walk.  The 
street  stretched  ahead  of  them  in  a  stiff,  unbroken 
line  of  vivid  color.  The  pines  on  the  right  were 
brilliantly  green  in  the  high  March  sunlight.  The 
beds  of  turf  laid  out  in  geometric  precision  in  the 
half-sand  enclosure  by  the  northern  side  of  the 
hotel  were  quite  fresh  as  if  the  grass  had  already 
begun  to  grow.  The  cedars,  laurels,  and  other 
ornamental  shrubbery,  were  neatly  trimmed. 
Everything  wore  the  festive  air  of  a  perpetual 
Christmas-tide. 

The  brilliant  equipages,  the  liveried  coachmen 
and  footmen,  even  the  invalids  and  their  attend- 
ants had  a  picturesqueness  heightened  by  the 
sombre  severity  of  the  universal  sand  and  pines. 

They  were  soon  lost  among  the  constantly 
increasing  groups  moving  up  and  down  between 
the  hotel  and  the  woods.  They  had  walked  this 
distance  three  times.  The  third  time,  the  baby 
carriage,  till  then  invisible,  was  in  front  of  the 
cottage. 

"  Let's  go  into  the  pines  and  wait.  My  feet 
ache,"  said  Miss  Beadle.  "  I  guess  we  can  find  a 
log  to  sit  down  on." 

"  We  might  miss  them." 

"  O,  just  for  a  little  while.     We  won't  go  far  in." 


XahewooD. 


117 


They  found  an  obliging  log  a  few  rods  in.  They 
had  sat  but  a  minute  when  Millicent,  who  had 
kept  her  gaze  steadily  fixed  on  the  procession, 
that  now  swelled,  then  ebbed,  exclaimed :  "  I 
think  they  must  have  started." 

"  Pull  me  up,"  said  Miss  Beadle,  wearily. 

With  youthful  vigor  Millicent  hastily  brought 
her  to  her  feet. 

They  turned  out  of  the  woods. 

"  Just  in  time ! "  exclaimed  the  elder  woman, 
ecstatically. 

They  reached  the  edge  of  the  clearing  to  see  the 
baby  carriage  propelled  by  a  white-aproned,  white- 
capped  maid,  a  huge  St.  Bernard  walking  sturdily 
beside  her. 

As  if  an  electric  shock  had  gone  the  whole 
length  of  the  board  walk  from  the  woods  to  the 
hotel,  each  group  started  to  converge  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  where  the  nurse,  with  her  treasure, 
would  probably  reach  the  sidewalk.  She  was  a 
very  young,  rosy-cheeked  maid,  who  evidently 
enjoyed  the  situation.  Occasionally  she  would 
obligingly  stop,  while  girls  and  women  peered 
under  the  canopy. 

Miss  Beadle  and  Millicent,  unwilling  to  mingle 
with  such  a  promiscuous  bevy  of  baby-worship- 
pers, tried  to  get  a  satisfactory  glance  on  the  wing. 
Their  curiosity  all  at  once  conquered,  for,  just  as 
they  came  opposite  the  group,  the  nurse  again 


u8  XaftewooD. 

halted,  the  St.  Bernard  faced  the  street  solemnly, 
like  a  picket  on  guard,  and  the  whole  company  of 
men,  women  and  children  paused. 

The  infant  opened  her  eyes.  They  were  as  blue 
as  the  sky  above  her. 

"  Such  a  pitty,  pitty  ittle  dirl !  "  exclaimed  a 
lady  in  a  high  key. 

"  With  eyes  just  like  your  beautiful  mother's !  " 
cried  a  second  in  screaming  tones,  staring  at  the 
cottage,  as  if  Mrs.  Darlington  might  possibly  hear 
her. 

"  You  know  you  have  a  heavenly  smile,  you 
dear,  you  !  "  and  a  third  pounced  under  the  canopy 
and  stole  a  kiss. 

"  You  are  the  very  image  of  both  your  father 
and  your  mother,"  now  called  out  another  in  a 
tone  of  challenge. 

"  And  she  won't  say  a  single  little  wee  word  to 
all  these  aunties  and  uncles  here.  Say  a  little 
word,  please  !  "  A  half  dozen  heads  bobbed  down 
over  the  fair,  good-natured  baby  face  which  sud- 
denly broke  into  a  broad  smile. 

"  Oh  !  "  in  a  smothered  rhapsody  from  several 
women. 

A  tall  Southerner,  thin,  snowy-haired  and  trem- 
ulous, pointed  his  long,  bony  finger  to  the  cottage, 
and  addressing  the  infant,  exclaimed  : 

"  Worthy  descendant  of  your  illustrious  pro- 
genitor. If  the  combined  forces  of  the  Democrats 


Xafcewoot*.  119 

and  Mugwumps — no  laughing  matter,  sir,"  he  said 
in  a  deep  aside  to  a  rubicund  man  giggling  spas- 
modically and  repressedly — "  worthy  and  youthful 
descendant,  listen  to  an  old  man's  prophecy.  Ere 
another  year  shall  roll  around  in  the  sweep  of  the 
ages,  your  ardent  and  precocious  gaze  will  be 
turned  toward  the  White  House." 

"  'Es  it  sail.  Oo  sail  go  there,  'es  oo  sail !  Oo, 
and  your  father  and  your  mother " 

"  Come,  Millicent,  come  away,"  said  Miss  Beadle, 
somewhat  shamefacedly. 

"  Just  let  me  steal  a  kiss." 

She  dove  under  the  canopy  like  a  bee  after 
honey,  seized  her  kiss,  and  with  flushed  face  joined 
her  chaperon  who  was  walking  rapidly  and  with 
considerable  severity  of  aspect. 

"  I  had  no  idea  that  baby  was  quite  such  a  rage. 
I  wouldn't  have  been  caught  in  such  a  motley 
crowd  as  that  if  I  had  known " 

"  O,  I  think  it  was  the  greatest  fun.  She's  a 
dear  little  thing — and  I  got  a  kiss !  " 

"  Well,  I  think  her  mother  is  too  good- 
natured.  Fancy  the  kisses — the — the  contagious 
kisses !  " 

"  Mine  didn't  hurt  her,  any  way,"  said  Millicent, 
stoutly.  "  My,  isn't  it  hot !  "  and  she  opened  her 
coat. 

"  Yes,  oppressive.  We  had  better  go  in  and 
read  till  lunch." 


120  XafcewooD. 

Millicent  enjoyed  Miss  Beadle's  harmless  dis- 
satisfaction with  herself. 

"  Suppose  we  separate  awhile,"  she  said,  with 
genuine  girlish  kindness;  "or,  if  you  don't  object, 
I  will  stay  out  a  little  longer  alone,  and  you  can 
go  in." 

"  Very  well,"  acquiescently. 


XafcewooO.  121 


CHAPTER  XI. 

IN  defense  of  her  own  integrity  of  purpose, 
Portia  took  her  accustomed  walk  the  next  morn- 
ing. She  sat  down  on  the  log.  The  day  was  a 
forerunner  of  summer.  Not  a  breath  of  air  was 
stirring.  A  faint  balsamic  odor  pervaded  the  at- 
mosphere. The  sky  looked  hazy  and  hot.  The 
yellow  sand  felt  warm  underfoot. 

She  opened  her  book.  She  could  not  get  inter- 
ested in  it.  She  laid  it  in  her  lap  and  began  mak- 
ing small  half  circles  in  the  sand  with  the  toe  of 
her  boot.  She  became  absorbed  in  seeing  how 
many  arcs  she  could  describe,  one  within  another. 
This  made  her  think  of  the  wheels  of  Elijah's 
chariot — then  of  miracles.  Then  her  mind  settled 
down  heavily  and  springless  upon  the  hard  facts 
of  life  and  the  impossibility  of  anything  miraculous 
occurring  in  the  things,  the  scenes,  the  relations 
that  are  felt,  tangible,  vital  to  mere  human  present 
happiness.  She  believed  in  the  miracles  recorded 
in  the  Gospels,  of  course.  She  had  been  brought 
up  to  do  so,  and  habit  of  belief  was  as  strong,  if 
not  stronger,  than  habit  of  character.  She  was 
glad  they  continued  to  possess  such  a  powerful 


122  Xafcewoofc. 

reality  to  her.  When  at  church,  and  the  rector 
chanced  to  be  a  good  reader,  with  a  reverent 
voice,  she  could  still  listen  to  the  Bible  with  a 
childlike,  spontaneous  faith  which  subdued  rebel- 
lious anxiety  and  gave  her  a  feeling  of  kinship  to 
the  sparrows.  She  could  observe  how  thickly 
feathered  they  were,  how  numerous,  how  hungry 
— always  needy.  Not  one  fell  to  the  ground  un- 
noticed. Not  a  hair  of  her  abundant  tresses  was 
uncounted.  Yes,  she  believed  it ;  of  course  she 
believed  it.  She  must  believe  it.  But,  oh,  what 
was  going  to  become  of  her  next  winter — two 
years  from  now  !  If  only  this  Heavenly  Father 
were — were  anthropomorphic. 

The  tremendous  word  belittled  the  thought, 
and  she  smiled.  She  looked  up. 

It  was  as  if  the  whole  of  nature  were  uttering  a 
prayer  of  rejoicing.  There  was  such  a  glad  ex- 
pectation everywhere,  as  if  the  earth  had  become 
the  handmaiden  of  God  and  was  uttering  a 
hymn  of  thanksgiving  kindred  to  the  Magnificat 
of  the  Virgin  Mary. 

Portia  prayed  too,  not  audibly,  not  in  language, 
but,  as  a  deaf  person  might  for  hearing  who  has 
faintly  caught  the  sound  of  a  long  absent,  beloved 
voice. 

Nothing  was  promised  to  the  lonely  girl.  No 
angelic  face  flashed  for  a  moment  from  the  splen- 
did ardor  of  the  blue  sky.  But,  as  nature  was 


XafcewooO. 


123 


doing,  so  she  had  done — suddenly — beneficently, 
for  her  repose  of  soul.  She  had  communed  with 
God — and,  after  all,  what  had  she  to  do  with  to- 
morrow ? 

Everything  around  her  at  once  became  very 
real.  She  was  so  real.  She  still  felt  young  and 
with  the  courage  of  youth.  The  old  warm  im- 
agination of  years  ago  asserted  itself. 

There  had  been  only  three  years  of  this  tough 
encounter  with  life,  and  she  had  lived  twenty-five. 
Everything  could  happen  to  her  still.  In  these 
last  three  years,  perception,  analysis,  humility  and 
courage  had  developed  ;  a  general  rearrangement 
of  so  many  false  equations,  the  very  thought  of 
which  now  seemed  absurd  to  her,  and  which  she 
saw  most  of  her  rich  friends  still  hugging  to  their 
hearts,  had  taken  place.  She  had  become  at  least 
more  womanly.  After  all,  then,  hers  was  not  an 
utterly  bad  state  of  affairs. 

There  was  a  latent  sparkle  in  her  eye.  A  cour- 
ageous independence  curved  her  lips.  A  rigidity 
which  made  her  sit  unnecessarily  upright  pene- 
trated her  whole  figure.  If  she  had  been  ten 
years  older  and  thin,  she  would  have  looked  fierce 
and  angular.  Now  there  was  a  pathetic,  resistant 
beauty  about  her,  such  as  one  sees  in  a  wild 
flower  growing  on  the  edge  of  a  cliff  and  blown 
to  its  full  height  by  a  steady  gale  sweeping  from 
the  gorge  below. 


124  Xafcewoofc. 

She  had  forgotten  Bryan  Mallory,  forgotten 
everybody  in  particular  ;  she  was  in  one  of  her 
magnificent  moods  when  the  whole  past  seemed 
a  myth  and  she  a  solitary  passenger  in  the  uni- 
verse, travelling  from  the  unknown  into  the  un- 
known. 

And  Bryan  Mallory,  sauntering  with  uncertain 
feelings,  but  no  uncertain  purpose,  along  that  path 
towards  which  Portia's  back  was  turned,  hailed 
the  first  sight  of  her  with  something  of  the 
exhilaration  which  nature  and  the  brooding  upon 
the  unseen  had  given  her. 

She  heard  the  approaching  footsteps  at  first 
vaguely,  as  if  she  were  in  a  dream.  At  present  it 
made  no  difference  to  her  whose  they  were. 
Not  that  she  said  this  to  herself.  She  had 
not  descended  from  her  mood  sufficiently  for 
that. 

When  Bryan  stopped  in  front  of  her,  therefore, 
he  encountered  a  pair  of  radiant,  dreamy,  gray  eyes 
full  of  the  blank  unconsciousness  of  expression  for 
which  he  was  so  famous. 

He  was  afraid  she  meant  to  snub  him.  He 
relished  the  idea.  No  one  had  ever  done  it  and 
he  had  often  wondered  how  people  who  were 
snubbed  felt. 

But  all  at  once  a  warm  welcome  shot  into  the 
splendid,  staring  eyes,  a  vivid  color  began  to  creep 
under  the  clear,  olive  skin,  and  Portia,  holding  out 


Xaftewoofc.  125 

her  hand,  said,  rather  irrelevantly  : — "  Oh,  it  is 
you." 

He  understood.  It  was  so  utterly  refreshing 
to  meet  a  woman  to  whom  the  very  sight  of  him 
could  convey  for  the  time  being  no  meaning  that 
he  played  with  the  new  sensation. 

"  Yes.     Who  did  you  think  it  was  ?  " 

She  laughed  apologetically. 

"  I  knew  you  weren't  a  tree — or — you  did  not 
make  enough  impression  on  me  at  first  for  me 
to  recognize  you." 

"  Indeed !  "  he  pretended  to  be  slightly 
offended. 

"  It  would  have  been  the  same  if  you  had  been 
anybody  else  at  just  that  moment,"  she  said 
reassuringly.  There  was  a  barely  perceptible 
minor  quality  in  her  voice  as  she  continued :  "  I 
am  alone  so  much,  I  am  growing  absent-minded. 
It  is  a  dreadful  habit.  I  try  one  day  to  break 
myself  of  it  and  the  next,  in  sheer  self-defence,  I 
nurse  it." 

"  You  ought  to  force  yourself  to  see  more 
people." 

She  glanced  at  him  briefly.  Yes,  she  would 
say  what  she  thought. 

"  I  am  fastidious  about  people." 

"  I  thought  you  said  you  found  them  so  inter- 
esting." 

"  I  do,  indeed,  but  from  observation  rather  than 


i26  Xaftewoofc. 

association.  That  gives  one  a  chance  to  feel 
terribly  lonely." 

"  Surely,  though,  since  you  care  for  them  so 
much,  you  can  find  at  least  a  half  dozen  congenial 
spirits  here  in  Lakewood.  Can't  you  ?  " 

"  If  I  were  Mrs.  Candace,  I  could." 

She  began  to  describe  half  circles  in  the  sand 
again,  her  eyes  intent  on  the  occupation. 

He  had  been  so  long  accustomed  to  adroit 
approaches  to  his  sympathy  and  affection  that  a 
momentary  caution  appeared  in  his  eyes  and 
manner. 

"  Why  not  as  Miss  Max  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Because  it  is  only  those  who  can  give  a  great 
deal  of  something  else  who  can  receive  a  little  of 
what  they  want." 

She  looked  up. 

He  perceived  he  was  not  much  more  than  a 
blackboard  to  her  on  which  she  was  making  visi- 
ble to  her  own  mind  her  proposition.  He  felt 
utterly  mean  and  common. 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  always  the  case,"  he  said, 
but  irresolutely.  "  Do  you  mean  that  only  people 
of  great  wealth  like  Mrs.  Candace  can  absolutely 
choose  their  friends  ?  " 

"  Hardly  mere  wealth,"  said  Portia  contempt- 
uously. "Although,"  she  added  thoughtfully, 
"  I  do  think  it  is  very  desirable." 


lafcewooO.  127 

He  looked  at  her  in  surprise.  Was  she  mer- 
cenary ? 

"  I  don't  believe  wealth  is  desirable,"  he  said 
emphatically. 

"  It  is  convenient,"  replied  Portia,  with  an  air 
of  conviction. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  replied  Bryan. 

"  Mrs.  Candace  has  a  great  deal  of  everything. 
She  has  ever  so  much  talent.  I  was  a  little  girl 
in  the  same  school  where  she  was  educated. 
There  isn't  anything  she  can't  do.  She  is  bril- 
liant. And  such  a  sweet  heart  !  I  hadn't  seen 
her  for  several  years  till  last  evening,  but  I  felt  at 
once  that  in  all  those  things  which  made  her  so 
very  different  from  others  she  was  unchanged. 
When  a  woman  like  her  has  wealth 

"  What  then  ?  "  asked  Bryan,  with  much 
curiosity. 

"  I  consider  it  a  lovely  arrangement  on  the  part 
of  Providence." 

"  That  is  a  happy  way  of  putting  it,"  he  said 
laughing.  "  I  consider  Mrs.  Candace  very  fortu- 
nate in  having  such  a  stout  little  champion." 

"  She  doesn't  need  a  champion,"  said  Portia, 
but  very  gently,  almost  sadly.  She  did  not  envy 
what  seemed  Elizabeth's  absolute  freedom  and 
independence.  She  would  have  been  grieved  to 
learn  that  one  single  item  of  luxury  or  opportu- 
nity had  been  removed  from  her  former  friend, 


1 28  Xafcewoofc. 

whom  now  she  only  claimed  in  her  thought  as 
an  acquaintance,  but  the  dreary,  frightened 
loneliness  and  awful  fear  of  the  future  that  had 
loomed  before  her  an  hour  ago  swooped  down 
upon  her  again  with  sudden  force. 

She  rose  to  go.  She  was  bidding  good-bye  to 
the  old  log  in  her  heart  too.  She  could  not 
come  there  again.  The  undefined  conventional- 
ities of  her  breeding  forbade  it.  She  was  sorry. 
She  liked  meeting  Bryan  Mallory  in  just  such  a 
spot.  There  they  could  come  in  mental  and  social 
touch  in  a  thoroughly  untrammelled  manner. 

He  saw  her  fleeting,  regretful  good-bye  look  at 
the  log,  the  sunny  clearing,  and  the  encircling 
trees.  He  felt  still  meaner.  He  must  accompany 
her  home  whether  she  expected  it  or  not.  He 
was  not  willing  to  part  with  her  so  abruptly.  So 
he  rose  too,  and  as  she  lifted  her  eyes  and  said 
"  Good-morning,"  he  replied  nonchalantly,  "  I'll 
go  part  way  with  you." 

"  I  live  in  a  direction  diametrically  opposite  to 
the  walk  back  to  your  hotel." 

"  It  doesn't  make  a  bit  of  difference,"  said 
Bryan,  cheerfully.  "  I  walk  several  miles  daily. 
You  will  confer  a  favor  on  me  if  you  will  allow 
me  to  enjoy  your  company  a  short  distance." 

She  rather  led  the  way.  She  conscientiously 
chose  a  short  cut  through  the  woods.  She  would 
not  be  the  means  of  detaining  him  an  instant.  He 


Xaftewoob.  129 

was  probably  sorry  in  his  heart  at  this  very 
moment  that  he  found  her  interesting.  She  was 
thoroughly  used  to  having  people  make  spas- 
modic advances  because  they  instinctively  liked 
her,  but  she  had  ceased  some  time  ago  to  invite 
these  advances.  She  had  too  often  felt  afterwards 
as  if  she  were  a  small  boat,  used  for  a  brief  sea- 
son of  pleasure,  then  cast  upon  the  sands  and 
forgotten. 

Bryan  expected  her  to  entertain  him.  He 
looked  down  furtively  at  her,  wanting  to  see  her 
color  heighten  and  desiring  to  be  diverted  with 
one  of  her  aphorisms. 

She  walked  steadily  forward  as  if  pursuing  a 
trail. 

"  Are  you  getting  absent-minded  again  ?  "  He 
switched  impatiently  a  young  growth  of  pine  im- 
pinging over  the  narrow  path. 

"  No  !  "  She  looked  up  with  some  wonder  and 
a  faint  smile.  She  was  amused.  She  realized 
that,  after  all,  he  had  his  share  of  vanity  and  that 
she  had  unintentionally  taxed  it.  The  Max  pride 
which  she  was  perpetually  disciplining  now  came 
to  the  front.  "  Why  should  women  be  forever 
entertaining  men,"  she  asked  herself,  "  smiling  at 
their  inanities  and  laughing  appreciatively  when- 
ever  they  try  to  be  facetious  ?  "  Still,  she  did  like 
this  man — very  much. 

"  Why  don't  you  say  something  to  me  ?  "  she 
9 


130  Xahewoofc. 

asked  so  pleasantly  and  naively  that  she  sur- 
prised him  into  a  stare  of  blank  astonishment. 

"  Because  I  am  so  stupid,  I  suppose." 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  enjoy  being  stupid  together 
like  old  friends  who  are  talked  out  for  the 
present." 

"  That  would  be  being  very  intimate  indeed," 
he  said  gaily.  "  However,  I'm  agreed." 

"  If  you  prefer,  we  might  be  old  enemies  trying 
to  endure  each  other's  society  until  the  first 
chance  came  to  separate." 

"  I  like  the  first  arrangement.  Do  not  try  to 
say  another  word.  I  am  more  than  satisfied." 

The  color  now  came  into  her  cheeks  and  re- 
mained. She  began  to  wonder  if  he  would  go  all 
the  way  with  her.  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  to 
let  him  see  in  what  a  shabby  spot  she  was  hiber- 
nating. 

They  came  on  Madison  Avenue.  As  the  morn- 
ing was  bright,  there  were  many  enjoying  the  air. 
Mr.  Mallory  was  tipping  his  hat  continually. 
Portia,  too,  occasionally  met  an  acquaintance. 
She  began  to  feel  unpleasantly  conspicuous. 
They  passed  Mrs.  Caruthers  whose  face  lighted 
with  involuntary  surprise  as  she  saw  them  to- 
gether. Miss  Max  began  to  unduly  appreciate 
the  advantage  of  obscurity. 

Presently  Miss  Beadle  and  Millicent  came  in 
sight,  Millicent  looking  immensely  pretty  in  a 


lahewoofc.  131 

dark  green  tailor  suit  and  a  huge  hat  of  the  same 
color. 

Miss  Beadle  bowed  affably  while  inventorying 
Portia's  shabby  fur  and  last  season's  bonnet  vainly 
freshened  with  an  aigrette  refusing  to  stand 
fiercely  erect  on  a  wrong  shape. 

Bryan  enjoyed  the  situation  immensely.  If 
Miss  Max  were  up  to  that  sort  of  thing,  he 
would  have  been  glad  to  take  this  walk  at  this 
hour  for  a  week  of  mornings. 

He  suspected  he  had  met  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life  a  woman  who  would  not  give  him  a  par- 
ticle of  gratuitous  assistance.  He  respected  but 
did  not  altogether  enjoy,  after  all,  her  indifference. 
If  she  would  only  vary  it  a  little,  in  spite  of  his 
assurances  to  himself  to  the  contrary,  with 
spasms  of  warmth,  or  faint  efforts  to  "  draw  him 
out."  He  felt  somewhat  ashamed  as  this  phrase 
exactly  vocalized  itself  in  his  thoughts.  He  began 
to  realize  that  the  lazy  assurance  in  which  he  had 
wrapped  himself  like  a  mantle  for  years  had  had 
a  rent  torn  in  it  this  morning.  Figuratively 
speaking,  he  wiggled  a  little  mentally  and  thought 
of  his  collection.  However,  his  sensations  like 
those  of  his  grubs  were  still  rudimentary,  and  it 
lay  quite  in  his  power  to  end  them  at  any 
moment. 

They  turned  off  Madison  Avenue  into  a  narrow 
side  street  more  irregular  and  less  carefully  in 


132  XaftewooO. 

order  than  most  of  the  others.  The  cottages 
soon  became  smaller  and  plainer. 

Portia  now  said  half  apologetically,  but  with  a 
gentle  kindness  thoroughly  disarming, "  I  am  sure 
you  must  feel  thoroughly  tired,  Mr.  Mallory. 
Remember  you  have  the  return  walk  to  take.  I 
am  several  blocks  from  where  I  live  still." 

"  I'm  never  tired,"  said  Bryan,  stoutly.  "  I 
shall  stay  out  the  entire  morning.  Do  let  me  go 
to  the  end  with  you." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,  of  course,  to  have  you." 

"  Then  she  hasn't  any  vulgar  shame  of  her  un- 
fashionable quarters,"  said  Bryan  to  himself,  and 
again  he  readjusted  the  focus  through  which  he 
was  viewing  her.  "  She  simply  wants  to  get  rid 
of  me.  She  shall  not."  He  began  to  put  a 
superfluous  energy  into  his  steps. 

"  Now  you  can  see  my  house,"  said  Portia, 
several  minutes  later,  with  animation.  "  That 
small  green  one  with  a  steep  gable  in  front  and  a 
square  tower.  There  is  a  little  room  in  the  tower 
— and  it  is  mine." 

"  It  faces  northwest.  Don't  you  feel  the  winds 
very  much  ?  "  inquired  Bryan  anxiously. 

"  They  are  pretty  fierce  some  days.  But  at 
this  season,  you  know,  you  think  each  cold  snap 
is  the  last,  and  so  when  I  am  shivering  I  keep 
saying,  '  Spring  is  coming.'  " 

"  You  have  heat  in  that  tower  room,   I   hope." 


Xafcewoofc.  133 

"  Yes,"  said  Portia,  laughing,  "  but  I  am  either 
burning  up  or  freezing :  it  is  one  extreme  or  the 
other.  But  I  do  have  the  most  gorgeous  sunsets. 
You  recall  how  level  and  thick  the  pines  are  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  lake.  The  sun  sets  right 
over  their  tops — and  such  skies !  Sometimes 
they  are  Florentine — that  deep,  deep  red  like  a 
crust  of  throbbing  warmth.  You  have  noticed 
the  Florentine  skies,  haven't  you  ?  And  then 
again  they  are  Venetian — deep,  ardent  blue  or 
pale,  delicate  green.  Or,  when  there  has  been  a 
wind  and  it  is  very  cold  and  then  grows  suddenly 
still  in  the  late  afternoon,  there  are  the  orange 
effects,  and  the  sun  rests  on  the  green  trees  a 
minute  as  if  they  were  a  lake,  then  plunges  down 
into  that  yellow  glow  as  if  he  must  melt  his  cold- 
ness. There  is  one  sky  that  is  terrible,"  added  the 
girl  solemnly.  "  It  is  a  pale,  light,  blue  sky  with 
drifts  of  lead-colored  clouds.  The  sun  is  a  dull 
red  and  casts  a  sickly  hue  on  the  sombre  clouds  ; 
it  looks  like  a  great  wicked  bloodshot  eye  and 
I  stare  and  stare  at  it  and  half  try  to  propi- 
tiate it  as  if  it  were  my  evil  genius.  I  assure  you 
the  tower  room  seems  eerie  and  lonesome  during 
such  a  sunset." 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  it  ?  "  asked  Bryan.  "  I 
always  turn  my  back  on  anything  I  don't  like." 

"  That  is  a  man's  way  and  a  very  good  way 
too,"  replied  Portia  ;  "  but  you  see  a  woman,  if  she 


i34  XafcewooD. 

makes  constant  company  of  herself,  has  to  have 
dramatic  situations.  An  uncanny  sunset  plays 
the  part  of  the  '  The  Ancient  Mariner  '  to  me." 

"  I  thought  you  were  a  woman  without  a  single 
foolish  notion." 

"  I'm  packed  full  of  them,"  she  said  emphati- 
cally. 

"  I  find  them  interesting  as  you  give  expression 
to  them,  at  all  events." 

He  said  this  so  chivalrously,  and  there  was  such 
a  steady,  friendly  glow  in  his  honest,  near-sighted 
eyes  that  she  felt  a  quivering  warmth. 

"  Here  we  are,"  she  said,  pausing,  and  then 
slipping  on  the  other  side  of  the  half-open  gate. 
She  closed  it  as  if  unconsciously  and  faced  Bryan 
standing  on  the  other  side. 

She  held  out  her  hand  over  her  barricade. 

He  took  it,  glanced  at  the  house,  then  down  at 
her — paused  irresolutely,  as  if  the  words  cost  him 
an  effort,  and  asked,  "  Don't  you  ever  invite  a 
fellow  to  call?" 

"  I  literally  have  no  place  in  which  to  receive 
one." 

"  I'd  sit  on  the  stairs." 

"  Would  you  be  willing  to  sit  in  a  room  half 
full  of  lounging  boarders  who  drank  in  every 
word  you  said  while  you  and  I  talked  a  few  com- 
monplaces ?  " 

"  I'd  like  to  try  it." 


XafcexvooO,  1^5 

She  laughed  outright.  She  glanced  at  him, 
then  away,  then  faced  him  again. 

"You  may  !  "  she  said,  but  as  if  she  felt  sorry 
for  him. 

"  Good-bye,"  he  said,  turning  away.  Looking 
back  immediately  after,  he  added,  "  I'll  try  it  very 
soon  with  your  permission." 

She  nodded  assent,  but  with  a  deprecatory 
smile. 


136  XaftewooD. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MISS  BEADLE  had  great  sympathy  with  the 
mere  fact  of  life  and  contemplated  dying  as  a  re- 
mote calamity  which  it  was  wise  to  forget  as  soon 
as  thought  of.  She  therefore  understood  why 
people  of  every  sort  and  condition  cling  to  ex- 
istence, and  she  moreover  appreciated  what  all  do 
not,  the  right  of  each  to  make  as  much  out  of 
his  situation  from  his  particular  point  of  view 
as  he  can.  She  was  keenly  alive  to  the  myriad 
feminine  devices  for  making  time  pass — not  to 
shorten  life  but  to  intensify  its  meaning.  What 
every  one  did,  how  it  was  done,  what  the  kaleido- 
scope effect  was  of  the  whole  movement  at  the 
"  Lakewood,"  were  her  never-ending  source  of  in- 
terest and  instruction.  She  was  an  admirable  com- 
panion for  a  young  girl,  for  minute  details  absorbed 
her  as  profoundly  as  some  great  and  magnificent 
generalization  would  a  philosopher. 

She  became  very  thoughtful  after  they  had 
passed  Bryan  Mallory  and  Portia. 

Millicent  wondered  over  the  outcome  of  her 
revery. 


lakewoofc.  137 

Presently  she  said  :  "  He  must  be  stopping  at 
the  '  Laurel-in-the-Pines.'  It  is  a  pity  he  isn't  at 
the  '  Lakewood.'  He  is  a  very  desirable  young 
man  for  you  to  know — very  !  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  everybody  nice  is  over  at  that 
hotel,"  said  Millicent  ruefully. 

"  O,  no,"  said  Miss  Beadle  positively.  "  The 
'  Lakewood  '  is  the  most  popular,  and  it  is  always 
full." 

"  The  '  Laurel-in-the-Pines '  is  the  most  ex- 
clusive." 

"  Would  you  like  to  walk  down  there  and 
glance  at  the  register  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Millicent  eagerly. 

So  they  continued  their  way  down  Madison 
Avenue  and  then  along  the  pretty  lake  on  which 
a  boat  or  two  was  sailing  against  a  stiff  breeze 
that  had  a  trace  still  of  the  rawness  of  March. 
After  a  short  walk  they  climbed  the  bank  near  the 
shore  and  went  through  the  woods,  coming  out 
in  front  of  the  hotel. 

"  How  perfectly  lovely !  "  exclaimed  Millicent 
rapturously.  "  Just  like  a  great  French  chateau. 
O,  we  must  come  over  here  for  a  week  at 
least." 

"  Perhaps — before  we  leave." 

They  went  in. 

There  was  indeed  a  vast  difference  between  the 
two  houses.  The  smaller  one  had  the  merit  of  wide 


138  XahewooO. 

sunny  spaces,  an  atmosphere  of  leisure,  elegance 
and  reserve,  while  there  was  something  charmingly 
homelike  about  the  corridors  and  reading-room. 
The  windows  of  the  corridor  facing  on  the  south 
were  built  in  shallow  recesses  in  which  during  the 
mornings  sat  groups  of  ladies  with  their  books  or 
embroidery.  Flanking  the  long  straight  side 
opposite  the  windows  were  thrifty  foliage-plants 
giving  an  air  of  summer  to  the  bright  halls. 

The  two  sight-seers  walked  everywhere  about 
the  first  floor,  resting  a  few  minutes  in  the 
sumptuous  yet  dainty  green-and-gold  parlor  and 
trying  the  great  chairs  before  the  fireplace  in  the 
reading-room  where  the  provisions  for  lovers  of 
current  literature  were  surprisingly  varied. 

"  It  is  ever  so  much  nicer,"  whispered  Milli- 
cent. 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  whispered  back  Miss  Beadle 
emphatically.  "  In  the  first  place  there  are  a 
thousand  people  at  the  other  house  and  what  you 
want  to  see  is  people  not  furniture." 

"  There  are  two  or  three  hundred  here,  at  all 
events." 

"  Oh,  this  is  a  good  place  to  spend  an  entire 
winter.  But  the  other  is  so  gay — such  music — 
such  promenades — so  much  breadth  and  life  in  the 
office,  evenings — such  big  bedrooms  and  big 
beds!" 

"  Such  a  great,  great,  great  big  dining-room," 


XahcwooJ).  139 

said  Millicent  tragically,  and  bending  towards  her 
chaperon  with  make-believe  enthusiasm. 

"  Come  look  at  the  register.  That  will  be  the 
only  thing  to  make  you  contented." 

So  they  turned  over  the  leaves,  their  heads 
together,  and  beginning  back  at  the  first  of  January 
in  order  to  have  the  examination  sufficiently  ex- 
haustive. 

"  Yes,  he's  here  !  "  said  Miss  Beadle  regretfully. 

"  Who  ?     Mr.  Mallory  ?  " 

"Yes — and  Dr.  Brighteck.  It  seems  to  be  a 
great  place  for  men." 

"  Now,  you  see  !  "  exclaimed  Millicent. 

"  Oh,  here  are  the  Dalrymples  and  Fennings. 
They  are  nuisances  everywhere." 

"  Awfully  funny  to  watch  though,"  said  Milli- 
cent. Suddenly  she  started  back. 

"  Any  one  you  know  ?  " 

"  People  I  don't  want  to  know.  Those  dread- 
ful Lorrieves.  Ugh  !  "  and  she  gave  a  bear-like 
shake.  "  Let's  go  back.  I  won't  say  another 
word  against  the  '  Lakewood.' ' 

"  I  thought  you  would  be  satisfied,  after  all," 
said  Miss  Beadle,  with  unnecessary  feminine 
iteration  of  a  previous  conviction. 

By  evening  of  this  second  day  they  felt  like 
old  residents.  They  had  walked  through  the 
principal  streets  in  the  morning,  had  taken  one 
of  the  prescribed  drives  in  the  afternoon — their 


140  Xahewoofc. 

respective  rooms  had  assumed  the  air  of  each  oc- 
cupant, their  wardrobes  had  been  minutely  and 
mutually  examined  for  purposes  of  reciprocal 
approval  as  well  as  personal  scrutiny.  When  it 
was  time  to  light  the  gas  they  were  discussing 
what  each  would  better  wear  down  to  dinner. 

"  There's  one  comfort — we  can  dress  more  here 
than  at  a  city  hotel.  I  must  say  I  like  to  show 
my  clothes." 

"  Why,  Millicent !  " 

"  You  would  like  to  tell  me  that  sounds  vulgar. 
But  it  is  the  truth." 

"  Everybody,  of  course,  takes  pleasure  in  being 
thoroughly  well-clad." 

"  Not  simply  clad,  but  dressed.  There  is  a 
heap  of  difference  between  those  two  words." 

"  A  true  lady  dresses  purely  for  her  own  satis- 
faction." 

"  And  that  of  others.  I  never  feel  supremely 
happy  in  a  new  gown  till  I  have  seen  some  other 
woman  look  at  it  approvingly.  Then  I  know  she 
thinks  I  look  well  in  it,  for  if  the  wearer  does  not 
look  well  in  a  gown  it  has  the  effect  of  being 
ugly.  To-night  I  am  going  to  dress  with  a  view  to 
Mrs.  Caruthers." 

Miss  Beadle  put  on  her  eye-glasses  and  stared 
at  Millicent.  "  I  think  I  am  capable  of  telling 
you  whether  you  are  suitably  gowned." 

"  That  isn't  the  idea.     All  my  dresses  are  made 


XaftewooJ).  141 

for  certain  purposes  and  are  suitable  enough." 
She  laughed  a  little.  "  I  want  to  look  fetching! — 
so  as  to  attract  her  attention." 

"  You  are  daft  on  Mrs.  Caruthers,  dear.  I'll 
lose  no  time  in  introducing  you.  So  save  your 
prettier  dresses  for  special  occasions." 

The  girl  pounced  down  on  the  chaperon  and 
hugged  her — hugged  her  tighter  and  tighter  till 
her  corsets  creaked  and  she  grew  very  red  in  the 
face.  Then  Millicent  kissed  her. 

"  To-night  ?  " 

"  ]  ust  as  soon  as  I  can — if  you  will  only  let  me  go." 

"  Don't  you  like  being  loved  ?  " 

"  Yes— but — moderately  !     Please  let  me  go  !  " 

Millicent  gave  her  another  spasmodic  kiss,  a 
parting  squeezing  hug  and  suddenly  relinquishing 
her,  whisked  out  of  the  room. 

"  I  am  going  to  have  my  hands  full,  after  all," 
said  Miss  Beadle  ruefully  to  herself. 

When  they  met  a  half  hour  later,  the  young 
girl  appeared  irresistibly  pretty.  Her  waving, 
abundant  dark  hair  had  additional  and  unex- 
pected twists.  A  dainty  silver  comb  asserted 
itself  piquantly,  and  her  gown  of  some  dark  blue 
clinging  stuff  and  fitting  her  like  herself  set  off 
her  clear  complexion.  Around  her  neck  was  a 
delicate  gold  chain  from  which  hung  in  the 
slender  white  hollow  of  her  round  throat  an 
antique  portrait  of  an  unknown  (ancestor?)  but 


142  Xahewoofc. 

quaint  enough  to  allow  the  setting  of  tiny 
diamonds. 

"  There  !  "  she  planted  herself  in  front  of  Miss 
Beadle  who  stepped  off  a  little,  then  walked 
around  Millicent,  giving  her  dress  a  touch  or  two. 

"  You  look  your  very  best,"  she  said  kindly. 

"  I'll  do  you  credit  to-night ;  at  least  I'll  try  to. 
I  hope  you  are  not  worrying  about  me.  I  am 
conventional  enough,  on  the  outside.  It  would 
be  simply  impossible  for  papa's  daughter  to  do 
anything  unworldly  or  ridiculous.  Still  I  like  a 
good  time,  and  I  know  when  I  like  people," 
she  added,  as  if  her  thought  or  emotion  after  all 
rested  on  some  basis  of  which  she  did  not  feel 
altogether  sure. 

"  The  doors  have  been  open  some  time.  One 
gets  a  better  dinner  by  going  down  early.  Sup- 
pose we  dine  immediately." 

"  Wait  ten  minutes  longer.  It  is  so  nice  to 
walk  in  when  there  are  lots  of  people  seated. 
Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  used  to — and  I  appreciate  what  you  mean." 
She  sank  good-naturedly  into  an  arm-chair. 

When  they  issued  from  the  elevator,  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  later,  the  cheerful  "  office  "  was 
crowded  with  men  and  handsomely-dressed 
women.  The  dining-room  which  opened  from 
this  great  central  hall  was  already  nearly  full  and 
it  was  with  supreme  satisfaction  that  Millicent 


Xaftewoofc.  143 

walked  down  its  spacious  centre  beside  Miss 
Beadle,  looking  very  modest  and  beautiful  but 
observant  of  every  one  on  the  right  and  left  from 
under  her  drooping  lashes. 

They  had  a  small  table  in  the  main  hall  next 
the  glass  partition  dividing  it  from  the  dining- 
room  in  the  wing. 

Miss  Beadle  took  the  seat  facing  opposite  the 
entrance  and  commanding  half  the  wing.  Milli- 
cent  sat  on  the  other  side.  Looking  forward 
through  the  glass  partition,  over  the  tables  her 
view  afforded,  she  saw  a  short  distance  away,  but 
quite  behind  her  chaperon's  vision,  Mrs.  Car- 
uthers  and  Perth  Edwards. 

The  young  girl  caught  her  breath.  A  hot 
dizziness  suffused  her  head,  and  when  it  passed 
her  ears  were  ringing.  But  her  color  suddenly 
heightened,  her  whole  manner  softened. 

Perth's  head  was  turned  away  for  he  was  giving 
the  waiter  an  order. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  she  dared  allow 
herself  the  luxury  of  another  view.  When  at 
length  she  did  so,  it  was  to  meet  his  admiring 
gaze  and  to  notice  a  half  smile  of  recognition  in 
Mrs.  Caruthers'  eyes — that  look,  in  fact,  which  is 
so  propitiatory  and  inviting  in  a  lady's  face  when 
she  desires  to  make  an  acquaintance. 

Millicent  bowed  a  little  stiffly,  very  girlishly, 
and  looked  bewilderingly  sweet. 


144  Xakewood. 

"  Whom  do  you  see  ?  "  quickly  asked  Miss 
Beadle. 

"  Some  people  from  New  York,"  said  the 
young  girl,  carelessly. 

Miss  Beadle  would  not  have  turned  her  head 
for  the  world.  At  this  moment,  moreover,  she 
discovered  friends  of  her  own  sitting  down  at  a 
table  near  by.  She  was  at  once  diverted. 

Thus,  to  Millicent's  delight,  matters  were  left 
to  take  their  course.  She  did  everything  to  pro- 
long the  dinner.  She  wanted  to  outsit  Mrs. 
Caruthers.  She  wanted  to  have  Perth  pass  her  in 
going  out  of  the  dining-room  and  perhaps  stop  to 
speak  to  her. 

So  she  ordered  every  course,  as  if  she  had  the 
insatiable  appetite  of  a  gourmand,  her  chaperon 
looking  aghast  at  the  variety  she  at  least  contrived 
to  taste. 

Her  little  plan  was  at  length  rewarded.  She 
saw  Mrs.  Caruthers  leading  the  way  to  a  door 
just  back  of  Miss  Beadle.  Then  she  saw  Perth 
say  something — and  then  they  turned  towards 
her. 

Her  head  was  lifted,  her  whole  face  radiant 
with  smiles  and  color,  her  eyes  were  flashing  a 
thousand  welcomes  as  they  came  up. 

While  Mrs.  Caruthers  paused  to  greet  Miss 
Beadle,  Millicent  turned  delightedly  and  held  out 
her  hand  to  Perth. 


Xaftewoofc. 


145 


"  What  a  perfect  surprise  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  As  great  a  one  to  me.  I  will  tell  you  all 
about  it  after  we  leave  the  dining-room.  But 
first  let  me  introduce  you  to  my  cousin.  She 
says  she  has  never  met  you,"  and  Perth,  just  as 
Miss  Beadle  had  the  words  on  her  lips,  said, 
"  Miss  Kent,  Mrs.  Caruthers." 

"  I  am  so  glad  of  this  opportunity.  I  had  it  on 
my  mind  to  ask  Miss  Beadle  the  very  first  time 
I  met  her  again  to  make  me  acquainted  with 
you." 

"  I  have  been  begging  for  the  same  privilege, 
haven't  I,  Miss  Beadle  ? "  and  Millicent  rose, 
receiving  the  introduction  with  empressement. 

Miss  Beadle  was  exceedingly  annoyed.  The 
whole  affair  had  been  so  completely  taken 
out  of  her  hands. 

Millicent  remained  standing. 

As  Miss  Beadle  was  in  the  very  act  of  laving 
her  fingers  in  the  perfumed  water  of  her  finger- 
bowl  when  Mrs.  Caruthers  paused,  nothing  re- 
mained for  her  to  do  but  to  rise  also. 

So  Perth  and  Millicent  walked  out  together,  the 
older  ladies  following. 

When  they  reached  the  main  hall,  Perth  said  a 
trifle  pugnaciously,  "  I  am  going  to  exchange 
Cousin  Alice  with  you  for  Miss  Kent  for  a  few 
minutes  if  you  have  no  objections,  Miss  Beadle." 

"  O,  we  old  people  shall  be  delighted   to  seize 


10 


146  Xahewoofc. 

that  vacant  settee  beside  the  fireplace  for  a  com- 
fortable  chat,  shall  we  not  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Caruthers 
quickly. 

Miss  Beadle  gave  assent  smilingly  and  diploma- 
tically,  but  with  dismay  in  her  heart. 

The  young  pair  joined  the  throng  of  promena- 
ders  in  the  corridors  and  soon  drifted  into  the 
parlors  and  through  them  to  the  solarium  where 
the  band  was  playing  and  the  plants  emitting  a 
delicious  fragrance.  The  colored  lanterns  lent 
illusiveness. 

Millicent  suddenly  felt  reserved  and  shy. 
One  of  those  waves  of  opposite  feeling  which 
made  her  real  nature  like  the  bosom  of  a  mount- 
ain lake  swept  over  her  and  she  wished  herself 
beside  her  chaperon. 

Perth  was  conscious  of  the  change.  "  The  same 
contradictoriness,"  he  thought,  "  that  passed  over 
her  the  last  time  we  parted.  I'll  pounce  into  it 
and  end  it." 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Millicent  ?  "  he  asked, 
solicitously. 

"  Noth-ing — don't  you  think  it  is  a  little  cool 
here?" 

"  Cool !     I'm  hot." 

She  really  shivered. 

"  We  will  go  and  sit  down  in  this  end  parlor,  he 
said,  glancing  through  the  long  window.  "  There 
isn't  a  soul  in  it,"  he  added  gleefully. 


fcahewoofc.  147 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

He  looked  at  her  with  a  gathering  frown.  Ten 
minutes  before  she  had  been  so  overwhelmingly 
glad  to  see  him. 

She  glanced  at  him,  saw  the  deep  cut  between 
his  thick  eyebrows,  noticed  his  eyes,  affectionate, 
puzzled  and  angry  at  once,  and  then,  as  quickly 
as  the  sun  goes  under  a  cloud  and  comes  out 
again,  her  face  wreathed  with  acquiescent  smiles 
as  he  found  a  divan  at  one  side  from  which  they 
could  view  the  corridor. 

The  real  nature  of  the  girl  had  come  uppermost. 
"  What  if  I  do  like  Perth  Edwards  ?  Haven't 
I  a  right  to  ?  What  if  papa  would  be  vexed  if 
he  could  see  me  at  this  minute  ?  I'm  not  doing 
anything  wrong."  Thus  were  her  thoughts  fight- 
ing the  battle  between  family  expectations  as  yet 
pleasantly  vague  but  magnificent,  and  youthful 
sentiment  and  fancy. 

"  You  are  going  to  see  a  lot  of  me,  Millicent," 
and  then  he  rehearsed  Mr.  Caruthers'  plan. 

"It  is  delightful,  I  am  sure,"  she  said  a  little 
tentatively.  After  a  pause,  she  added:  "You 
know  I  am  very  much  chaperoned." 

"  I  don't  care  for  that.  Alice  can  manage  Miss 
Beadle  every  single  time." 

"  No,  she  can't,"  replied  Millicent,  very  posi- 
tively. "  She  did  to-night,  because  Miss  Beadle 
was  taken  so  perfectly  by  surprise.  I  am  afraid, 


148  lahc  WOOD. 

though,  you  will  never,  never  see  me  alone  again 
in  this  hotel  after  to-night." 

"  Then  it  will  be  entirely  your  fault,"  he  said, 
sagaciously.  "  You  have  always  been  fertile  enough 
in  expedients  in  the  past,  and  if  we  cannot  just  be 
friends  down  here,  too ' 

She  looked  up  very  haughtily  and  a  little  hurt. 

"  Just  friends,"  was  his  idea,  was  it  ?  Then  he 
should  see  Miss  Beadle  everywhere  with  her, 
morning,  noon  and  night.  A  wave  of  hot,  morti- 
fied vanity  and  growing  love  made  her  sit  further 
away  on  the  divan.  She  sat  very  straight  and 
looked  stylish  and  petulant. 

"You  are  glad  I  came,  aren't  you?"  he  inquired, 
so  anxiously,  that  if  she  had  not  been  blinded 
by  her  own  chaotic  feelings  she  would  at  once 
have  regained  her  serene  and  youthful  com- 
placency. 

"  Of  course  I'm  glad.  Why  not  ?  I  have  felt 
so  cut  off  from  our  set  ever  since  I  came.  I  have 
been  homesick  for  New  York." 

"  She  takes  such  awful  care  to  be  impersonal," 
said  Perth  to  himself.  "  I  don't  believe  there  is  a 
girl  living  who  knows  what  she  wants  or  whom  she 
likes  two  minutes  in  succession,"  and  with  fervor 
equal  to  hers  he  vowed  to  become  a  misogynist. 
But  he  asked  very  propitiatorily,  "  Would  you  like 
to  walk  awhile  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Millicent,  rising  immediately,  as  if 


XafcewooO. 


149 


greatly  relieved,  but  so  disappointed  that  the  tears 
came. 

If  he  could  have  seen  those  tears,  the  evening 
might  have  ended  differently. 

They  swelled  and  swelled  till  she  was  so  choked 
she  could  not  speak,  and  Perth,  mistaking  her 
silence,  decided  before  they  had  gone  half  the 
length  of  the  promenade  to  deliver  her  at  his  very 
first  opportunity  into  the  keeping  of  her  redoubt- 
able chaperon. 

When  they  reached  the  office,  therefore,  he  led 
the  way  to  the  two  ladies,  both  of  whom  looked 
at  the  young  people  eagerly,  though  with  very 
different  reasons. 

"  Back  so  soon  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Caruthers. 

Miss  Beadle  drew  a  chair  invitingly  near  her 
own  for  her  charge. 

Perth  lingered  a  few  minutes,  chatting  coldly 
and  brightly,  and  then  addressing  his  cousin  rather 
pointedly  and  saying,  "  I'll  look  you  up  a  half 
hour  later,  Alice,"  he  bowed  good-night  to  the 
other  ladies. 


150  XaftewooD. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DETERMINED  to  avoid  even  the  sight  of  Milli- 
cent,  Perth  took  an  earlier  train  than  usual  to  the 
city  the  next  morning.  He  had  said  nothing 
further  about  her  the  evening  before  to  Mrs.  Car- 
uthers  who  had  too  much  tact  to  touch  upon  the 
difference  which  had  sprung  up  between  the  young 
people  so  suddenly.  Carrying  much  wounded 
pride  and  constantly  increasing  obstinacy  with 
him  to  New  York,  he  returned  in  the  evening  as 
doggedly  resolute  as  ever  to  keep  out  of  Milli- 
cent's  way. 

In  spite  of  Miss  Beadle's  persuasive  advice, 
Millicent  put  on  her  prettiest  gown  that  night, 
going  downstairs  to  the  "  office "  long  before  it 
was  time  for  the  stages. 

When  she  heard  them  drive  up  and  witnessed  the 
usual  commotion  of  arriving  and  receiving  friends, 
she  felt  suddenly  frightened.  She  sat  down  as  far 
from  the  entrance  as  possible,  a  bright  color  in 
her  cheeks.  Her  eyes  were  bashful  and  ardent. 

She  watched  the  arrivals  surge  in,  most  of  them 
welcomed,  a  few  solitary  and  solemn-looking,  and 


XaftewooO.  151 

others  glancing  about  eagerly  with  the  naive  curi- 
osity still  so  evident  in  Americans  when  they  are 
having  a  first  experience.  The  crowd  filled  the 
office. 

Presently  only  an  occasional  traveller  pushed 
the  fan-doors  open.  As  yet  Perth  had  not  ap- 
peared. All  at  once,  however,  she  saw  his  face 
through  the  glass-doors.  It  showed  no  eager 
expectancy. 

He  stalked  in,  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor 
left  and  going  straight  to  the  desk  to  speak  to  the 
clerk.  Perhaps  he  was  going  to  give  up  his  room. 
She  trembled  at  the  thought. 

In  another  minute  he  was  in  the  elevator.  She 
saw  it  ascending  with  feelings  of  modest  relief 
and  keen  chagrin. 

Five  minutes  later  she  swept  into  her  own 
room,  turned  the  key  between  it  and  Miss 
Beadle's,  and  throwing  herself  on  the  bed  burst 
into  tears.  She  cried  herself  into  a  sick  headache 
and  was  unable  to  go  down  to  dinner. 

By  dinner-time,  now  that  he  was  actually  under 
the  same  roof  with  her,  Perth  was  consumed  with 
the  desire  of  seeing  her  again.  When  he  looked 
over  at  her  table  to  discover  Miss  Beadle  dining 
alone  every  sort  of  fear  seized  him,  and  Alice 
Caruthers  found  herself  amused  and  pitiful  at 
once. 

"  Have    you    seen     anything    of    her   to-day, 


1 52  XafcewooO. 

Alice? "he  asked,  pushing  the  soup  aside  after 
tasting  it. 

"Whom,  Perth?" 

"  Miss  Kent." 

"  Oh,  yes." 

"  Did  you  talk  with  her  at  all  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Come,  Alice,  tell  me  what  I  want  to  know 
without  questions." 

Mrs.  Caruthers'  lips  twitched  slightly  ;  a  sparkle 
glimmered  and  faded  in  her  eyes.  She  played 
with  her  spoon,  looking  over  at  Miss  Beadle. 

"  Well,  Perth,  wherever  and  whenever  I  have 
seen  her,  it  has  been  behind  the  intrenchments." 

"  Do  you  mean  Miss  Beadle?" 

"  Yes.  She  is  thoroughly  fortified.  The  only 
thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  follow  suit." 

"  I  don't  understand." 

"  You  will  have  to  get  a  chaperon." 

"Alice!" 

"  Yes ; "  she  shook  her  head  slowly  but  con- 
vincingly. 

"  Everybody  would  think  me  a  fool." 

"  Never  stop  for  everybody  when  you  want 
some  particular  body." 

"  I'll  not  make  myself  ridiculous  for  any  woman 
living." 

"  It  is  the  only  way  to  do,  occasionally,"  she 
said,  laughing.  "  Tom  was  the  greatest  kind  of 


153 

a  simpleton  before  I  could  let  myself  dream  he 
really  cared  for  me.  But  eat  your  dinner  now, 
and  when  we  are  alone  in  my  parlor,  we  will  plan 
your  campaign." 

His  appetite  revived.  He  soon  began  to  talk 
of  the  day's  events.  When  he  passed  Miss 
Beadle  on  his  way  out,  who  looked  up  compla- 
cently from  her  salad,  he  bowed  indifferently  but 
cordially,  leaving  her  with  the  impression  that  it 
was  quite  unnecessary  to  be  so  much  on  her 
guard. 

On  going  up  from  dinner  she  found  Millicent 
bent  in  a  heap  over  a  wood-fire  which  the  child 
kept  poking  from  time  to  time  to  make  the  sparks 
fly  out. 

She  looked  up  presently  with  a  pitiful  little 
smile  of  welcome. 

"  Is  anything  troubling  you,  dear  ?  " 

"  N-o.     I  guess  I  am  homesick." 

"  Homesick  !  Why,  why  !  Yesterday  you  were 
in  love  with  Lakewood." 

"  I'm  not  to-day.  I  hate  it.  I  wish  I  were  on 
the  '  City  of  Paris  '  this  very  minute  with  papa 
and  mamma." 

"  Something  unpleasant  has  happened.  Please 
tell  me  what  it  is." 

"  What  could  happen  !  I'm  headachy  because 
I  am  homesick,  and  I  am  homesick  because  this 
is  a  dull,  flat,  stupid  place,  all  pines  and  sand.  It 


154  lafcewoofc. 

is  horrid — perfectly  horrid  down  here — and  as  for 
the  hotel " 

"Shall  we  go  over  to  the  '  Laurel-in-the-Pines'  ?  " 

"  N-o  " — with  a  touch  of  eager  dissent  in  her 
voice. 

"  It  was  dreary  in  the  dining-room  without 
you,  dear.  You  ought  to  have  a  little  pity  for 
me." 

"  Didn't  you  see  anybody  down  there  whom 
we  know — new  people,  I  mean." 

She  shook  her  head. 

After  a  while  Millicent  ventured  to  ask,  "  Did 
you  speak  to  anybody  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Beadle,  recalling  Perth's  man- 
ner. "  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Edwards  and  Mrs.  Car- 
uthers.  They  seemed  rather  indifferent.  Do  you 
suppose  Mrs.  Caruthers  is  snobbish.  I  never 
heard  she  was  or  saw  anything  to  indicate  it.  Of 
course  with  a  young  fellow  like  her  cousin,  one 
understands  that  sort  of  thing.  Dear  me,  I  know 
all  about  the  Caruthers  and  Edwards.  The  Car- 
uthers have  money  without  family,  and  the  Ed- 
wards have  family  without  money.  Either  condi- 
tion is  as  bad  as  being  lame  in  one  foot." 

Millicent  tossed  her  head.  She  gave  the  fire  a 
savage  poke.  Presently  she  sat  back,  much  flushed 
and  very  pretty  in  her  dark  maroon  wrapper.  "  If 
I  had  to  choose,"  she  said  with  determination,  "  I 
would  select  family  any  day." 


Xaftewoofc. 


J55 


"  My  dear,  you  don't  know  anything  about  it," 
said  Miss  Beadle  somewhat  mournfully  and 
turning  an  ugly  but  ancient  ring  on  her  ringer. 
"  Family  won't  feed  and  clothe  you.  Family  won't 
take  you  to  Alaska  and  Egypt.  Family  won't 
furnish  your  house  and  help  you  give  dinners  and 
keep  in  the  swim." 

"  I  am  thinking  of  Mrs.  Candace." 

"  Mrs.  Candace  is  all  very  well.  But  who 
would  ever  say  a  word  about  her  family  except 
the  'Daughters  of  the  Revolution'  if  she  hadn't 
an  immense  fortune.  Once  I  thought  as  you  do. 
I  have  changed  my  mind.  I  have  family  enough 
for  three  ordinary  New  Yorkers  with  fortunes, 
but  it  doesn't  help  in  these  days." 

"  You  wouldn't  be  a  Lorrieve,  would  you  ?  " 
asked  Millicent  with  inexpressible  scorn. 

"  I  dare  say  Mrs.  Lorrieve's  grandchildren  will 
lead  society." 

"H'm!" 

''And  Perth  Edwards'  descendants,  if  he 
hasn't  money,  will  be  the  salaried  employe's  of 
the  Lorrieves." 

"That  will  never  happen,  never!"  said  the 
young  girl,  sitting  upright  and  clutching  the  arms 
of  her  chair.  "  He  is  just  the  kind  of  man  to 
make  a  fortune  and  marry  somebody  with  the 
bluest  kind  of  blue  blood.  He's  awfully  aristo- 
cratic. You  don't  know  him,  Miss  Beadle — and 


156  lafcewooO. 

— and  I  may  as  well  tell  you — I've  got  to  tell 
somebody — I'm  mad  at  him  !  Yes — just  mad  ! 
He  was  so  dreadfully  afraid  I'd  think  his  atten- 
tions too  marked,  last  night.  I  am  not  that  sort  of 
person." 

"  What  did  he  do  ?  " 

"  Do  ?     He  didn't  do  anything." 

"  Did  he  say  anything  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  did.  He  tried  to  make  it  so  very 
clear  to  me  that  he  and  I  were  friends.  As  if  I 
couldn't  understand  !  Oh  !  "  She  seized  the 
poker  again  and  gave  the  logs  such  a  thrust  that 
they  fell  apart  ;  the  blaze  flickered  ;  a  shower  of 
sparks  flew  up  the  chimney. 

"  I  wouldn't  care  what  he  thinks  or  doesn't 
think." 

"  I  don't."  She  laughed  hilariously.  "  I  shall 
keep  out  of  his  way  after  this,  that  is  all.  And  if 
you  see  him  coming  around,  or  going  to  speak  to 
me — or — or  wanting  to  talk  with  me,  don't  you 
ever — ever  leave  us  alone  together  a  single 
minute." 

"  I'll  take  care  of  you,  dear,"  replied  Miss  Beadle, 
soothingly,  delighted  that  matters  were  unexpect- 
edly assuming  a  course  which  would  completely 
relieve  her  of  the  apprehension  she  had  felt  the 
evening  before.  "  Only  don't  lay  such  stress  on 
the  Edwards'  family  connections.  They  are  a  de- 
clining family.  In  fact  they  have  declined. 


UaftewooD.  157 

Yours  is  a  rising  family.  Your  father  is  making 
a  name." 

"  He  doesn't  know  who  his  grandfather  was." 

"  No  matter.  Your  father  is.  You  live  under 
a  Democracy.  If  I  were  you  I  would  take  a  bath 
and  go  to  bed.  You  will  have  a  nice  long  even- 
ing to  get  your  beauty  sleep  in." 

"  I  believe  I  will.     I  am  tired  out." 

"  I  am  tired,  too.  If  I  say  good-night  now,  will 
you  go  right  to  bed  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will."  She  held  up  her  face  for  a  kiss. 
Even  Miss  Beadle's  caresses  this  night  were  far 
from  unwelcome. 

Meanwhile,  in  front  of  a  fire  equally  cheerful, 
and  which  Mrs.  Caruthers  fed  from  time  to  time 
with  pine-cones  that  snapped  and  flared  with  fatty 
flames,  filling  the  room  with  a  delightful  resinous 
fragrance,  Perth  Edwards  sat,  airily  smoking  a 
cigarette  and  looking  at  his  cousin  with  laughing 
incredulity,  while  she  reiterated  the  necessity  of 
his  having  a  chaperon. 

"  Very  well.  Let  us  take  such  a  fellow  for 
granted,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument.  But  tell 
me  though  where  I  could  find  him." 

"  He  is  here — in  this  very  hotel,"  said  Alice 
impressively. 

"  H'm  !  Who  is  he  ?  "  Perth  sat  upright  in 
stiff  astonishment,  a  hand  on  either  knee. 


158  Xafcewoofc. 

"  He  would  enjoy  the  role  beyond  all  words  to 
express  his  delight,"  she  continued. 

"  He  would  be  called  a  fool." 

"  O,  he  would,  of  course,  have  to  be  called  one 
and  considered  one,  too — at  least  by  Miss  Beadle 
and  her  charge.  He  would  like  it.  The  more 
fool  they  thought  him,  the  better  he  would  play 
his  part." 

"  I  never  gave  you  credit,  Alice,  for  even  the 
ability  to  scheme.  I  thought  you  a  thoroughly 
frank,  upright,  literal  woman.  I  feel  sorry  for 
Millicent  already  and  ashamed  for  myself." 

"  If  you  won't  promise  to  play  your  part  thor- 
oughly, I  will  throw  the  whole  thing  up,"  she 
said.  "  As  for  scheming,  I  can  do  it  as  well  as 
anybody  else,  and  always  could,  but  never  would 
except  on  occasions.  This  I  consider  an  occa- 
sion. If  you  will  follow  my  advice,  you  will  come 
through  the  affair  in  triumph.  Not  that  I  con- 
sider it  desirable  for  you  to  ally  yourself  with  the 
Kents.  They  are  frightfully  new  people  ;  but 
then  Mr.  Kent  has  succeeded,  Millicent  is  most 
attractive — and  you  love  her.  I  loved  Tom." 

He  held  out  his  hand.  She  squeezed  it  sooth- 
ingly. 

A  delicious  silence  ensued.  Finally  he  looked 
up.  "  Go  ahead,  Alice.  You  are  a  woman  and 
must  understand  a  girl  like  Millicent.  Poor  little 
thing.  I  believe  she  does  care  for  me." 


Xafeewoofc. 


J59 


"  Care  for  you  ! "  Alice  compressed  her  mobile 
lips.  "  I  saw  with  one  glance  how  much  she 
cared  for  you." 

"  Who  is  to  be  the  chaperon  ?  " 

"  Dick  Gordon." 

"  I  declare  !  I  believe  he  would  like  it  out 
of  sheer  deviltry.  Then  he  looks  so  innocent  and 
stupid — as  if  he  had  nervous  prostration  or 
some  other  queer  complaint  peculiar  to  genius 
and  mediocrity.  But  you  must  not  do  or  say 
anything  to  make  him  think  lightly  of  Mil- 
licent." 

"  As  if  I  would  !  " 

"  I'll  write  a  message  this  minute  asking  him 
to  come  up  here,  shall  I  ?  " 

She  opened  her  desk.  Perth  soon  despatched 
the  note. 

In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Gordon  knocked.  He 
came  in  effusively  and  familiarly. 

Alice  led  him  to  a  seat  before  the  fire. 

He  was  a  slight  man  of  middle  age  with  a  nerv- 
ous, restless  manner.  His  small  black  eyes  were 
never  still.  His  ugly,  mottled  complexion,  his 
conciliatory  manner,  and  a  smile  which  was  for- 
ever beginning  and  forever  vanishing,  completed 
the  general  traits  of  a  physiognomy  at  once  pre- 
possessing and  repulsive. 

"  Something  on  the  carpet  ?  "  he  asked,  in  a 
halting  staccato. 


160  Xaftewoofc. 

"  Fun  and  intrigue,"  replied  Perth  grandilo- 
quently. 

"  Romance  and  youth,"  added  Alice  impress- 
ively. 

"  Delighted." 

"  Do  you  know  what  a  chaperon  is,  Mr.  Gor- 
don ?  "  she  asked  with  soft  animation. 

"  I  should  think  so.  I  have  often  fancied  my- 
self playing  such  a  role.  Think  I'd  succeed  ?  It 
is  this  way.  You  are  forever  a  shadow — ha,  ha  ! 
Ever  read  Peter  Schlemiel?  The  person  chaper- 
oned is  exactly  like  that  innocent  goose.  He  or 
she  never  knows  the  full  value  of  a  shadow  till 
it  is  lost.  If  it  is  once  disposed  of  or  lost,  all 
sorts  of  terrible  consequences  will  ensue.  Peter 
Schlemiel's  shadow  was  his  most  valuable  posses- 
sion, but  he  did  not  know  it,  and  to  his  everlast- 
ing sorrow  bartered  it  away.  It  was  worth  more 
than  the  vast  fortune  he  got  in  exchange.  It  was 
in  fact  his  fortune.  For  want  of  it  he  lost  the 
girl  he  loved.  Why,  a  clever  chaperon  can  make 
society  call  deformity  style,  ugliness  beauty,  stu- 
pidity innocence,  and  contrariness  light  spirits. 
If  the  men  would  have  chaperons,  they  could  win 
the  women  they  wanted  every  single  time." 

"  Capital !  "  exclaimed  Alice,  wringing  her  hands 
in  apparent  ecstacy. 

"  Mr.  Gordon,"  said  Perth  solemnly,  "  I  am  of 
the  same  mind.  I  am  convinced  my  destiny 


Xafeewoofc.  161 

hangs  on  securing  the  proper  chaperon.  Mrs. 
Caruthers  has  advised  me  to  offer  you  this  proud 
position." 

"  You  young  dog,  you."  Dick  swelled  with 
assumed  anger. 

"  It  is  a  tribute  to  your  diplomacy,"  said  Alice, 
between  smothered  gasps  of  laughter.  "  You 
will  make  Cousin  your  debtor  for  life.  It  will 
pass  away  your  time  while  you  are  quarantined 
here  for  convalescence." 

"  I  know  half  the  world  already  believes  me  a 
fool,"  mused  Dick,  optimistically. 

"  And  the  other  half  knows  you  succeed  in 
everything  you  undertake,"  added  Alice  enthusi- 
astically. 

He  glanced  at  her  with  evanescent  appreciation. 
Turning  to  Perth,  he  inquired, 

"  Have  you  come  into  a  fortune  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Is  your  mind  unbalanced  ?  " 

"  I  was  never  sane." 

"  Are  you  the  victim  of  some  suicidal  propen- 
sity ?  " 

"  I  love  life  too  well." 

"  Anybody  lying  in  wait  to  assassinate  you  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  an  enemy  in  the  world." 

"  What  on  earth  am  I  to  guard  you  against, 
then  ?  " 

"  You    are   to  defend  me  from  the  attentions 
ii 


162  Xafcewoofc. 

of  a  delicately-bred,  highly-sensitive,  enormously 
wealthy  and  exceedingly  reticent  young  woman 
who  would  rather  die  than  appear  to  court  the 
best  man  living." 

"  I  see  !     I  see  !  " 

He  got  up  and  paced  the  floor  as  if  trying  the 
steps  of  the  Virginia  reel. 

"  I'll  shadow  you,"  he  said,  finally,  "  till  you 
seem  like  the  most  important  man  in  the  United 
States.  No  one  shall  say  a  word  to  you  without 
my  appearing  to  weigh  its  hidden  as  well  as  ob- 
vious import.  This  retiring  maid  never  shall 
have  five  minutes  conversation  with  you  without 
my  presence  upon  the  scene.  As  you  rise  in  the 
scale  of  defended  innocence,  propriety  and  beauty, 
she  by  contrast  shall  sink  into  timid  insignifi- 
cance." 

"  She  has  a  chaperon,  too,"  said  Perth. 

"  And  you,  while  doing  this  for  Perth,  must 
manage  to  make  it  appear  incidental,  otherwise 
it  will  degenerate  into  a  farce,"  added  Alice, 
anxiously. 

"  It  is  this  way,  Mr.  Gordon,"  she  continued. 
"  I  have  planned  it  all  out,  although  I  dare  say 
your  genius  comprehends  the  situation  at  a 
glance.  You  are  gradually  to  impress  the 
young  lady  by  your  attentions  to  Perth  with  a 
profound  sense  of  his  importance.  When  this 
victory  is  achieved  you  are  to  lay  siege  to  her 


Xafcewoofc.  163 

chaperon,  thus  affording  the  young  people  a 
chance  to  bring  their  drama  to  a  happy  con- 
clusion." 

"  In  other  words,  you  expect  me  to  storm  the 
ancient  citadel  of  Miss  ?  — 

"  Miss  Beadle  is  her  name." 

"  You  don't  say  so !  "  His  countenance  fell. 
A  brick-colored  flush  suffused  it.  "  Well,"  he 
said,  thoughtfully,  a  minute  later,  "  I  believe  I  am 
equal  to  both  parts  of  the  programme.  When 
shall  we  begin  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  night,"  said  Alice.  "  Perth  goes 
into  the  city  every  morning,  so,  except  over 
Sundays,  the  whole  affair  must  be  managed 
evenings." 

"  I  am  glad  it  is  not  an  all-day  business,"  said 
Dick,  cheerfully.  "  I  can  stand  a  run  of  comedy 
a  month  or  so  without  its  palling,  provided  I  have 
a  change  of  thought  through  the  day.  By  the 
way,  who  is  the  young  lady  ?  " 

"  Miss  Millicent  Kent,"  said  Perth,  with  linger- 
ing pride  over  the  name. 

"  H'm  !     Is  Miss  Beadle  chaperoning  her?  " 

"Yes.     You  seem  surprised." 

"  I  am,  rather.  Bah,  if  Miss  Beadle  undertook 
to  chaperon,  she  would  do  it — do  it  as  well  as  I 
could." 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  Miss  Beadle  ? " 
asked  Alice  with  a  pang  of  disappointment.  "  It 


164  XafcewooD. 

will  all  fall  through  if  you  are.  I  thought  you 
were  a  perfect  stranger  in  the  East." 

"  I  am,  to  all  intents  and  purposes.  I  happened 
to  know  Miss  Kent's  father  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
twenty-five  years  ago.  Employed  him  then,  in 
fact,  at  day's  wages  ;  but  that's  no  matter.  He 
is  a  solid  Wall  Street  fact  to-day.  Miss  Beadle  I 
knew  twenty  years  ago — casually  ;  but  I  could 
have  lost  my  reason  and  a  score  of  other  things 
since  then.  My  identity  for  present  purposes  is 
sufficiently  vague.  I'll  prove  a  first-class  chap- 
eron, never  fear." 

"  Then  all  is  arranged  till  to-morrow  night," 
said  Alice,  radiantly.  "  Will  you  have  a  hand  at 
whist  with  us,  Mr.  Gordon  ?  Fetch  the  cards, 
Perth,  and  draw  the  table  near  the  fire." 


Xahewoo5.  165 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IT  was  the  day  of  Ethel's  dinner-party. 

The  weather  during  the  early  afternoon  had 
been  uncertain.  Later,  the  temperature  rose,  the 
air  thickened,  a  few  drops  fell  sporadically.  Grad- 
ually a  slow,  monotonous,  fine  rain  set  in,  accom- 
panied by  a  thick,  depressing  fog. 

A  tall  hemlock  outside  Portia's  window,  which 
in  the  sunshine  looked  sturdy  and  luxuriant, 
became  as  gloomy  as  a  cypress  in  the  dull,  waning 
light. 

The  open  register  sent  out  a  stream  of  murky 
air,  neither  cold  nor  hot,  but  charged  with  cellar 
smells.  What  daylight  there  was  lingered  in  the 
tower  room,  bringing  out  the  white  walls  in  chill- 
ing relief. 

Portia  had  completed  her  toilet  for  the  dinner. 
She  had  also  ordered  a  carriage  with  a  thrilling 
sense  of  increased  expense  and  an  inadequate 
purse.  She  had  sat  down  in  the  one  easy-chair 
her  room  afforded,  a  grim-looking  but  comfortable 
shaker  rocker.  The  rocker  was  as  large  as  a 
piazza,  chair.  It  had  a  broad  flat  arm  for  support- 
ing a  book. 


1 66  Xahewoofc. 

Her  slender  hand  lay  extended  on  this  arm, 
and  in  the  chilly  atmosphere  it  looked  whiter  and 
thinner  than  usual. 

She  rocked  slowly  back  and  forth,  her  eyes  fixed 
on  a  series  of  Egyptian  views  she  had  been 
tempted  to  buy  while  in  an  extravagant  frame  of 
mind.  The  pictures  aroused  a  train  of  fleeting 
sentiment  and  fancy. 

Two  sphinxes  with  a  desert  background  were 
majestic  still  in  their  crumbling  decay  under  the 
implacable  finger  of  time.  There  was  a  vast  pylon 
with  the  massive  temple  to  which  it  was  the  en- 
trance stretching  away  in  a  long  row  of  thick, 
squat  columns,  between  which  were  dimly  visible 
the  huge  walls  of  those  chambers  sacred  to  the 
theosophic  cult  of  Egypt's  most  aristocratic  caste. 
The  only  beauty  in  the  vast  remains  was  that 
of  grandeur  and  antiquity.  The  only  lesson  they 
served  to  teach  was  the  lesson  of  instability  and 
ruin. 

She  looked  next  on  the  towering  but  broken 
walls  of  the  Ramesseum.  The  huge  statues  at  their 
base  were  nearly  gone.  The  sky  looked  down  on 
the  sand  between  those  walls.  They  were  no 
more  to-day  than  "  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in 
a  weary  land,"  thus  returning  to  the  same  destiny 
they  might  have  served  if  left  unhewn  where  God 
had  placed  them. 

Thus  did   everything,  however  transported  or 


Xahewoofc.  167 

changed,  eventually  return  to  a  primitive  condi- 
tion or  service.  All  greatness,  all  usefulness 
under  fixed  forms  was  evanescent. 

By  an  idle  but  logical  transition,  her  thought 
reverted  to  the  stone  walls  enclosing  New  Eng- 
land farms,  ornamental  now,  being  no  longer 
necessary  for  clearing  and  demarkation. 

The  grim  and  august  monuments  of  Egypt,  the 
homely  and  extensive  farm  walls  of  New  Eng- 
land are  chiefly  indicative  to-day  of  endless  labor 
and  God-like  patience.  The  first  represent  the 
climax  of  a  slowly-elaborated  civilization ;  they 
are  the  cenotaph  of  a  vanished  people.  The 
others  represent  the  evolution  of  a  new  people  ; 
they  are  already  but  an  historic  expression  of  its 
infancy.  Yet  how  many  men,  how  many  back- 
aches and  heartaches,  how  many  hopes  and  how 
many  disappointments,  how  many  possessions 
fallen  into  hands  of  strangers  these  stone  monu- 
ments express ! 

"  What  is  the  use  ?  "  Portia  vaguely  sighed.  "  I 
wish  I  had  the  will  to  sit  still  till  there  was  no 
more  known  of  me  than  of  those  sphinxes." 

But  at  this  moment  the  door-bell  rang  with  a 
loud  clang.  It  was  a  bell  inordinately  propor- 
tioned to  the  size  of  the  house. 

She  peered  out  of  the  window  through  the 
rapidly-gathering  clouds. 

"  Yes,  that  must  be  my  carriage,"  she  thought. 


1 68  Xafcewoofc. 

The  rain  made  the  top  appear  like  a  shining 
strip  of  gutta  percha.  The  driver,  in  his  rubber 
waterproof,  looked  like  a  huge  turtle  thrusting 
out  its  head.  The  horses  were  as  wet  and  as  sleek 
as  seals.  It  was  an  awful  night  to  go  anywhere. 

"  Why  does  it  always  rain  whenever  I  have  an 
engagement  ?  "  the  girl  wondered  while  slipping 
on  her  tips  and  throwing  a  circular  around  her 
shoulders. 

"  I  don't  want  to  go,"  she  sighed  to  herself, 
hurrying  along  the  unlighted  hall  and  down  the 
darker  stairs.  "  It  is  so  lonesome  prowling  about 
unattended  or  unaccompanied." 

But  once  inside  the  carriage  and  enjoying  the 
rapid  roll  of  the  wheels  over  the  sandy,  well-made 
drives,  her  eerie  impression  of  antiquity  and  in- 
stability vanished  and  Lakewood,  in  its  modern 
thrift  and  beauty,  became  an  immediate  and  fatal 
environment  not  to  be  resisted. 

She  was  the  last  guest  to  arrive,  and  she  had 
only  just  descended  to  the  drawing-room  and  re- 
ceived Ethel's  greetings,  when  dinner  was  an- 
nounced. 

The  table  was  an  oblong  one. 

Portia  was  pleased  with  her  seat  in  all  respects, 
for  she  was  between  Mr.  Grace  and  Dr.  Brighteck 
and  opposite  Bryan  Mallory.  She  was  keenly  de- 
lighted to  meet  Mr.  Mallory  under  perfectly  fav- 
orable conditions. 


XaftewooD.  169 

As  for  Bryan,  the  sight  of  the  black  dress  with 
its  small  red  spots  gave  him  a  thrill  which  made 
him  feel  almost  foolishly  exuberant. 

Mrs.  Candace  was  diagonally  opposite  Portia 
and  vis-a-vis  to  Mr.  Darlington.  Every  one  seemed 
to  expect  either  scintillations  in  the  way  of  con- 
versation between  Elizabeth  and  Mr.  Darlington, 
or  at  least  familiar  allusions  to  topics  of  cabinet 
importance,  for  it  was  generally  accepted  that 
men  rose  to  their  highest  mental  level  in  her 
company. 

Mr.  Grace's  florid  face  shone  like  a  generous 
reflector  with  the  pleasure  he  always  experienced 
in  entertaining,  while  Ethel,  with  an  artistic  appre- 
ciation of  scenic  effects,  congratulated  herself  on 
her  happy  thought  in  placing  Mrs.  Caruthers  and 
Mrs.  Darlington  on  opposite  sides  at  the  centre, 
and  where  their  blonde  and  brunette  beauty  lent 
a  harmonic  color  tone  to  the  small  company. 

As  for  Perth  Edwards,  truth  compels  me  to 
state  that  he  was  young  enough  and  volatile 
enough,  while  dashing  a  thought  or  two  toward 
Millicent  as  incomparably  the  superior  of  any 
of  the  women  present,  to  nevertheless  feel  per- 
fectly happy  and  thoroughly  at  home  between 
Mrs.  Darlington  and  Mrs.  Candace.  "  The  man 
of  destiny  "  glanced  towards  Perth  occasionally, 
as  though  wishing  to  interrupt  the  intensity  with 
which  his  youthful  acolyte  studied  him  even  as  a 


170  Xafcewoofc. 

gourmet.  Indeed,  several  times  the  young  man's 
manner  was  alarmingly  like  that  of  a  reporter. 

"  Why  is  it,  Mr.  Darlington,  that  shortly  after 
a  man  becomes  President  of  the  United  States 
we  read  of  him  as  a  regular  Isaac  Walton  ?  "  asked 
Ethel,  while  the  fish  was  served. 

"  Possibly  because  fishing  is  a  thoroughly  vacu- 
ous amusement,  and  thus  leaves  the  presidential 
mind  free  to  ponder  weighty  matters.'' 

"  Then  the  Chesapeake  and  Hog  Island  are  re- 
sponsible for  new  aspects  of  the  silver  question, 
reform  in  the  tariff,  and  reduction  of  the  pension 
lists?"  inquired  Elizabeth.  "There  should  be  a 
subsidy  granted  by  Congress  for  piscatorial  pur- 
poses, with  a  view  to  hastening  political  reforms." 

Mr.  Darlington  lifted  his  heavy  lids,  and  the 
folds  of  flesh  about  his  cheeks  settled  into  his 
neck  as  he  replied  : 

"As  paradoxical  as  it  sounds,  a  true  democracy, 
developed  harmoniously  and  on  a  grand  scale, 
will  require  larger  instead  of  smaller  expenditure. 
The  popular  delusion  in  this  country  among  all 
parties  is  the  delusion  of  cheapness.  As  a  people, 
we  still  lack  all  sense  of  proportion." 

He  paused  as  if  for  breath  and  thought.  Dr. 
Brighteck,  as  agile  in  mind  as  body,  leaned  over 
and  said  : 

"  As  I  understand  you,  an  important  plank  in  a 
democratic  platform  is  not  the  saving  of  the  peo- 


Xaftewoofc.  171 

pie's  money,  but  the  right  appropriation  of  that 
money." 

"  Precisely  !  the  pension  list,  for  instance,  should 
be  cut  down,  not  because  there  is  too  little  money, 
but  because  there  are — there  are  pensioners  who 
are  not  pensioners.  It  is  giving  money  to  a  myth. 
Economically,  therefore,  the  size  of  the  appropri- 
ation is  a  scandal,  a  scandal  to  the  financiering  of 
the  Government.  Reverting,  however,  to  what 
Mrs.  Candace  said,  the  voting  of  a  subsidy  for  pis- 
catorial purposes,  I  do  not  find  the  idea  irrelevant 
not  at  all  irrelevant.  Anything  conducing  to  the 
relaxation  of  a  mind  belonging  to  the  public, 
whatever  the  cost,  is  a  gain  to  the  nation.  I  would 
therefore  have  the  revenue  yacht  Dolphin  used 
more  freely  than  it  is.  I  would  have  it  refitted 
frequently  and  superbly,  both  as  an  index  of  the 
use  to  which  it  is  put,  and  as  a  manifestation  of 
the  completeness  with  which  anything,  however 
remotely  related  to  the  administration,  is  con- 
ducted." 

u  It  is  delightful  to  be  able  to  talk  ex-officio, 
isn't  it?"  said  Mrs.  Darlington,  after  a  pause  which 
no  one  else  seemed  inclined  to  break,  although 
there  was  a  keen  light  in  Bryan  Mallory's  usually 
indolent  eyes,  as  if  his  thoughts  were  busy  on  op- 
posing lines.  "  There  are  so  many  things  ripe  for 
a  change,"  she  continued,  "  and  neither  party  is 
quite  willing  to  incur  the  opprobrium  of  making 


172  XafcewooD. 

innovations.  The  women  of  the  country  would 
not  hesitate  to  make  them  and  take  the  conse- 
quences, which,  I  am  sure,  though,  would  be  bene- 
ficial, no  matter  what  the  newspapers  say ;  but 
men,  whether  as  individuals  or  parties,  are  so  afraid 
of  being  talked  about." 

"  Yes,"  said  Ethel,  airily,  "  it  is  timidity  that 
kills  most  men  who  die  before  their  time.  Don't 
do  much  thinking,  Angora,  and  above  all  things 
do  not  be  an  innovator  if  you  wish  to  live  to  a 
green  old  age." 

"  The  conservation  of  force  has  been  my  motto 
and  always  will  be,  if  I  have  wit  enough  to  stick 
to  my  text,"  said  Mr.  Grace,  in  a  puffing,  gusta- 
tory voice,  as  the  pink  mottled  his  face  till  it  looked 
like  the  palm  of  a  plump,  fair  hand. 

"  As  one  source  towards  which  the  revenue 
should  be  directed,  Mr.  Darlington,"  asked  Eliza- 
beth, "  do  you  not  think  the  requirements  suffi- 
cient for  larger  expenditures  at  Washington  for 
social  functions?  Should  there  not  be  a  summer 
White  House  as  well  as  a  winter  one?  Victoria 
has  Balmoral,  Windsor  and  Osborne  House. 
Should  not  the  residence  of  our  chief  dignitary 
be  a  more  crystallized  affair?  I  would  even  go 
farther,  and  add  that  our  ex-presidents  should 
have  houses  built  at  the  expense  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  an  income  for  life,  so  that  as  private 
citizens  they  can  adequately  support  the  dignity 


fcafcewood. 


'73 


to  which  they  become  accustomed.  Social  life  at 
Washington  should  be  greatly  elaborated,  and  not 
based  on  precedent,  as  established  now  by  one 
party,  then  by  another.  Congress  should  formu- 
late a  set  of  rules  to  which  official  society  at  the 
capital  would  be  required  to  conform." 

"  As  private  persons,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Darling- 
ton eagerly,  "  we  spend  as  much  as  we  please  with- 
out fear  of  criticism  ;  but  lavish  public  expendi- 
ture seems  to  immediately  raise  the  ghost  of  Caesar- 
ism.  I  think  a  bold  step  should  be  taken  to 
explode  this  fallacy." 

"  It  raises  the  ghost  of  Csesarism,"  said  Dr. 
Brighteck,  "  because,  politically,  we  represent  the 
masses  who,  as  individuals,  are  poor,  and  live  sim- 
ply. They  therefore  wish  a  government  whose 
social  aspect  is  democratic  in  the  sense  of  plain 
living,"  he  added,  but  tentatively.  "The  masses 
have  the  notion  that  plain  living  goes  with  hard 
work,  morality,  honest  sentiment  and  a  higher 
level  of  thought." 

"  It  does  not  follow  because  a  poet  allied  plain 
living  and  high  thinking  that  they  are  logical  ad- 
juncts," said  Bryan,  but  indifferently.  "  What  did 
Wordsworth,  browsing  among  the  hills  of  West- 
moreland for  nearly  a  century,  know  of  the  trend 
of  things  during  the  second  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century?  I'll  venture  to  say  that  oftener  than 
not,  plain  living,  when  forced  upon  a  man,  lowers 


174  UafcewooO. 

the  plane  of  thought.  Plain  livers  from  necessity, 
as  the  masses  are,  can  never  forget  where  their 
bread  and  butter  comes  from.  They  generally 
take  a  sordid  view  of  ways  and  means  for  fear  of 
losing  what  little  they  have  gained." 

"All  very  well  in  theory,  Mallory,"  said  Dr. 
Brighteck,  "  but  facts  contradict  your  argument. 
Every  reform  begins  with  the  masses.  '  Direct 
taxation '  is  a  popular  measure.  '  Tariff  reform  ' 
is  the  cry  of  the  people." 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Bryan,  deliberately  yet  incis- 
ively. "  '  Tariff  reform  '  is  the  cry  of  frightened 
England.  It  is  the  wail  of  famine-stricken  Eu- 
rope," speaking  as  a  prophet,  he  added. 

"As  for  considering  the  simple  tastes  of  the 
masses,"  continued  Mr.  Darlington,  as  if  his  flow 
of  speech  had  suffered  no  hiatus,  "  that  would  be 
folly.  Our  so-called  masses  are  forever  in  transi- 
tion. Our  poor  of  to-day  will  be  the  rich  of  to- 
morrow. The  miners,  immigrants,  cattle-dealers 
and  settlers  on  pre-empted  land  are  the  fathers  of 
our  present  and  future  aristocracy — that  is,  of  our 
social  leaders.  Money  and  brains  in  a  country 
like  this  are  bound  to  come  to  the  front.  We  are 
as  fluid  socially  as  the  ocean,  into  which  run  the 
waters  of  continents.  The  accident  of  a  new  mine, 
a  profitable  ranche,  the  opening  of  manufacto- 
ries at  centres  of  travel,  the  tremendous  develop- 
ments of  our  oil  wells  and  wheat  fields,  the  absence 


XaftewooD.  175 

of  any  true  system  of  caste,  these  and  kindred 
things  change  the  fortunes  of  large  numbers  so 
quickly  that  we  shall  be  successful  as  a  govern- 
ment according  to  our  interpretation  of  the  grow- 
ing demands  and  awakened  desires  of  the  newly 
rich.  People  talk  of  all  our  land  being  taken  up. 
Why,  look  at  Alaska — still  virtually  unoccupied, 
and  embracing  a  territory  about  one-sixth  as  large 
as  the  rest  of  the  United  States.  Does  Prussia 
fear  that  the  superb  palace  at  Potsdam,  with  its 
costly  appointments  and  formalities  will  impover- 
ish Germany  ?  And  yet,  Alaska  alone  is  as  large 
as  the  British  Islands,  together  with  Prussia,  Spain 
and  Italy.  Its  outlying  islands  are  about  the  size 
of  Maine.  And  as  for  surplus  space  within  the 
limits  of  the  States,  turn  your  eyes  to  Montana. 
Look  at  the  valleys  of  the  Sevan  and  Clear 
Water  rivers.  They  have  fifteen  hundred  square 
miles  of  fine  timber  and  vast  reaches  of  '  first-class ' 
agricultural  land.  These  two  valleys  would  sup- 
port a  respectable  European  dynasty.  The  neigh- 
boring mountains  are  full  of  gold,  silver  and  copper, 
— and  game,  about  which  there  are  such  fears  of  its 
extinction,  abounds  there.  I  am  told  there  is  ex- 
cellent shooting  in  the  way  of  moose,  deer,  elk 
and  even  mountain  lions 

"  Burr-r,"  said  Ethel,  with  such  an  excellent, 
far-away  rumble  in  her  throat,  that  all  laughed. 

"  We  are  certainly  enormously  wealthy,  collect- 


176  ZaftewooD. 

ively  and  individually,"  said  Mrs.  Caruthers,  with 
a  kind  of  neat  precision.  "  I've  been  thinking  of 
the  Hebrew  element  lately,  and  I  confess  their 
thrift,  their  happy  domestic  life,  and  the  palatial 
splendor  of  their  homes  astonish  me.  I  went  up 
to  the  city  yesterday  and  stopped  for  lunch  with 
a  Jewish — friend."  She  uttered  the  last  word 
with  the  faintest  hesitation,  as  if  she  owed  it  to 
the  dinner  company,  perhaps,  to  keep  in  the 
background  so  comprehensive  a  word  as  "  friend," 
but  as  she  uttered  it,  she  did  so  genuinely  and 
heartily. 

Portia's  eyes  expanded  with  a  momentary,  warm 
glow.  She  looked  at  Bryan  Mallory,  caught  his 
glance,  and  they  exchanged  a  cordial,  appreciative 
smile.  Each  had  liked  Mrs.  Caruthers  better  for 
daring  to  have  a  Jewish  friend. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Candace  invitingly  to  Mrs. 
Caruthers. 

"  My  friend  took  me  through  her  house.  I 
never  saw  anything  like  it  in  the  city  before.  It 
contained  fortunes  tucked  away  in  corners,  or  in- 
vested in  single  pieces  of  tapestry,  or  in  curios  in 
carved  rock  crystal,  ivory  and  china.  I  won't 
mention  the  chambers  hung  with  silk  tapestry,  or 
the  solid  wall  cabinets  of  Dresden  china,  filled  with 
bric-a-brac  as  costly,  or  the  secret  closets  for  Dutch 
antiquities  in  silver,  or  the  door  panels  painted 
by  masters  of  the  art  of  mural  decoration.  These 


ILaftewooO.  177 

are  mere  trifles.  Fancy  the  dressing-bureaus 
laden  with  every  imaginative  toilet  article  in  silver 
or  ivory,  each  piece  set  with  real  gems  ;  fancy 
a  table  containing  twenty  or  thirty  curiosities 
in  gold,  in  the  way  of  Sedan-chairs,  snuff-boxes, 
oriental  animals,  etc.,  every  one  a  work  of  art." 

"  Didn't  it  all  look  superfluous  and  barbaric  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Candace  simply. 

"  Really,  no.  The  arrangement  was  so  per- 
fect." 

Elizabeth  Candace  shook  her  head  as  though 
such  a  display  of  multifarious  possessions  were 
the  farthest  from  her  taste. 

"  I  am  told,"  said  Mrs.  Darlington,  "  that  the 
consolidated  Hebrew  vote,  if  turned  to  political 
reform,  would  number  20,000  in  New  York  alone. 
These  wealthy  Jews  are  becoming  a  force.  We 
must  utilize  them  politically.  In  order  to  do  so, 
our  people  must  break  down  this  foolish  prejudice 
of  centuries.  The  fact  is,  we  have  become  so  rich, 
counting  all  the  elements  of  our  population,  that 
the  time  has  certainly  come,  as  Mrs.  Candace 
said,"  she  added,  as  if  wishing  support  in  what 
she  was  about  to  advance,  "  to  crystallize  socially. 
We  should  elaborate  our  living.  My  ideal  of 
residence  for  the  President's  family,  for  instance, 
would  be  a  city  like  New  York  during  the  early  win- 
ter, Washington  while  Congress  was  in  session,  a 
resort  like  Lakewood  for  March,  the  White  House 

12 


178  Xa  he  WOOD. 

perhaps  for  late  spring,  a  summer  house  near  the 
Capital  through  June,  and  the  coast  for  midsum- 
mer. The  trying  conditions  of  American  climate 
could  thus  be  quite,  if  not  entirely,  avoided. 
Then,  too,  we  should  have  ambassadors  instead 
of  ministers." 

"  Ambassadors  would  please  the  German  popu- 
lation, I  suppose,"  remarked  Bryan.  "  They  are 
such  lovers  of  the  places  and  methods  they  have 
immigrated  from.  I  gather,  too,  from  their  con- 
versation, that  the  lowest  class  they  belonged  to  at 
home  was  the  professional,  and  that  every  other 
family  lived  while  in  the  Fatherland  in  a  castle. 
They  should  have  remained  in  a  country  where 
they  were  so  advantageously  situated." 

"  But  consider  the  Germans  one  minute,"  said 
Mr.  Darlington.  "  In  wealth  and  numbers  they 
greatly  outrank  the  Hebrew  contingency."  He 
bowed  to  Mrs.  Caruthers  who  felt  the  gratifica- 
tion every  woman  does  when  her  view  on  politics 
or  economy  is  treated  with  respect.  "  Look  at 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Milwaukee;  see  the  size  of 
the  German  vote." 

"  I  like  the  Germans,"  said  Ethel,  "  because 
they  understand  money  value  so  thoroughly." 

"  They  have  done  away  with  many  of  our 
Colonial  ideas,  which,  on  the  Fourth  of  July  and 
Thanksgiving  Day,  we  count  among  the  forces 
that  fashioned  us  a  nation.  They  have  rendered 


Xafcewoofc. 


179 


fortunes  made  by  the  sale  of  beer  social  pass- 
ports," said  Dr.  Brighteck. 

"  England  is  still  in  advance  of  us  in  this  last 
respect,"  replied  Bryan,  "for  there,  beer  and  titles 
are  synonymous.  However,  setting  beer  and 
braggadocio  aside,  the  Germans  must  be  consid- 
ered not  only  in  the  way  of  occupying  miles  of 
our  territory,  in  which  one  never  hears  a  word  of 
English  spoken ;  not  only  in  the  way  of  Sunday 
concerts  and  a  European  Sabbath,  but  as  a  solid 
force  representing  vast  wealth  and  legions  of 
voters."  He  glanced  at  Portia,  who  was  mentally 
summarizing  the  varied  influence  of  this  aggres- 
sive national  unit. 

"  To  have  ambassadors  represent  us  in  France, 
Germany,  Russia,  and  England  would  mean  an 
increase  of  salaries,"  said  Dr.  Brighteck  medita- 
tively. 

"As  a  matter  of  course,"  assented  Mr.  Darling- 
ton. "  Think  what  it  has  been  in  the  past  to 
meet  the  duties  at  St.  James  and  Berlin  on  seven- 
teen or  eighteen  thousand  a  year." 

"  Yet  there  have  been  men  who  have  sustained 
the  situation  with  dignity,"  said  Portia. 

"  It  should  never  nave  been  required  of  them, 
never  have  been  required  of  them,"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Darlington  emphatically. 

Bryan  Mallory  looked  at  him  scrutinizingly, 
realizing  that  he  seldom  expressed  himself  even 


180  XafcewooO. 

indirectly  in  praise  of  his  political  opponents. 
He  respected  Mr.  Darlington,  however,  as  a  man 
free  from  the  party  vice  of  slander. 

"The  chief  benefit  I  can  see  arising  from  a 
large  increase  in  official  salaries,"  said  Dr.  Brighteck, 
"  would  be  the  bringing  of  brains,  capacity,  and 
Americanism  to  the  front.  Any  office  should 
support  the  incumbent.  I  wish  we  might  have 
an  interregnum,  say  of  two  years,  in  which  a 
cabinet  should  be  chosen  on  the  same  basis  as  an 
arbitration  committee,  to  settle  a  multitude  of 
vexatious  matters  which  each  political  party  is 
afraid  to  shoulder." 

"  Better  have  such  questions  decided  as  they 
arrive,"  said  Bryan,  "  even  if  we  get  at  them 
through  as  clumsy  a  machine  as  British  precedent. 
There  always  comes  a  moment  when  they  can  no 
longer  be  laid  on  the  table,  if  they  are  really  vital. 
We  have  seemed  to-night  to  lay  great  stress  on 
our  riches.  It  seems  to  me  we  should  never  for 
one  moment  forget  they  are  held  by  a  people  as 
heterogeneous  as  that  constituting  the  Roman 
Empire.  We  have  Montana  and  Alaska,  to  be 
sure,"  nodding  towards  Mr.  Darlington  and  smiling 
slightly  ;  "  but  England  and  Germany  are  monop- 
olizing Africa.  Russia  and  England  still  have 
the  Indian  question  to  settle.  I  can  easily  fancy 
such  a  state  of  things  occurring  as  to  destroy  a 
large  part  of  the  prospective  wealth  of  this  coun- 


fcaftewooD.  181. 

try.  Let  Europe  fully  utilize  her  colonial  posses- 
sions, and  at  the  same  time  withhold  or  withdraw 
from  us  her  capital  seeking  investment.  Let  our 
people  become  so  denationalized  that  the  imports 
steadily  exceed  the  exports.  Let  our  currency 
continue  to  decline.  It  would  only  take  a  year 
or  two  for  us  to  perceive  a  shadow  reaching  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  as  ominous  as  that 
preceding  the  downfall  of  Eastern  monarchies. 
Our  National  banks,  backed  though  they  are  by 
the  Treasury,  cannot  stand  too  severe  a  strain." 

"  Babylon  is  fallen — fallen !  "  said  Ethel,  drama- 
tically. "  I  always  liked  the  sonorous  ring  of  those 
words.  They  are  about  all  I  know  of  Babylon." 

"  Read  Marie  Corelli's  Field  of  Ardath.  You 
will  at  least  gain  impressions  if  not  acquire  facts," 
suggested  Portia. 

"  Is  it  very  hard  reading? " 

"  It  is  a  novel." 

"  Oh.  Don't  forget  then,  Angora,  when  you 
go  to  town  to-morrow  to  order  it  for  me.  Do  let 
us  drop  these  heavy,  indigestible  subjects  and  talk 
of  something  more  interesting.  There  is  to  be  a 
ball,  by  the  way,  at  the  '  Lakewood '  soon  for  sweet 
Charity's  sake.  I  am  one  of  the  patrons,  and  as 
you  are  too,  Mrs.  Darlington,  it  is  sure  to  be  a 
great  success." 

"  What  charity  is  it  ? "  asked  Perth,  who  had 
been  a  silent  listener  till  now. 


i8z  XaftewooD. 

"  One  of  the  three  K's — quoting  the  German 
Emperor  ;  the  Day  Nursery  for  Children.  I  am 
glad  there  is  one  man  living  still  who  thinks 
children,  church,  and  kitchen — Kinder,  Kirche, 
and  Ku'tche — enough  to  claim  the  time  and 
strength  of  woman." 

"  If  they  only  did  !  "  exclaimed  Elizabeth. 

"  They  are  at  least  her  realm/'  replied  Ethel, 
"  and  I  am  going  to  work  for  this  ball  with  en- 
thusiasm— and  dance — oh,  how  I  shall  dance !  " 
she  looked  with  girlish  defiance  and  mirth  at  Dr. 
Brighteck  while  rising  from  the  table. 

When  Bryan  Mallory  joined  the  ladies  soon 
after,  he  sat  down  beside  Portia,  who  was  still 
sipping  her  black  coffee. 

"  Did  it  occur  to  you,  Mr.  Mallory,  that  with  all 
our  dissertations  on  race  at  dinner  we  never  men- 
tioned the  Irish  ?  " 

"  It  is  because  they  are  the  leaven  merely. 
They  stimulate  mind  and  emotion,  giving  en- 
thusiasm and  energy  to  most  of  the  great  move- 
ments of  the  English  speaking  peoples." 

"  Is  that  a  fact  ? "  asked  Portia,  much  aston- 
ished. 

"  I'll  give  you  a  task.  Look  up  the  ancestry 
of  the  writers,  scientists,  generals  and  statesmen 
of  America  and  England.  Six  of  our  presidents 
had  Irish  blood  in  their  veins.  It  is  odd,  by  the 
way,  how  Chinese,  Hungarian  and  Italian  immi- 


TLafcewoofc.  183 

gration  has  improved  the  status  of  the  Irish  im- 
migration and  how  the  Irishman  in  politics  has 
brought  the  names  prefixed  with  an  O  or  ending 
with  aY  to  the  front.  Look  at  the  names  to-day 
on  society  lists.  A  quarter  of  them  are  Irish." 

"Yours  is  an  Irish  name,  Mr.  Mallory." 

"  You  must  allow  me  therefore  a  word  in  favor 
of  Erin." 

"  As  many  as  you  like.  I  never  forget  the 
Irish  were  Kelts,  that  ancient,  mysterious  people 
who  owned  all  of  Great  Britain  and  Western 
Europe  long  before  the  Germans  dispossessed 
them." 

"  I  suspect  there  is  an  Irish  strain  in  your  own 
composition,  Miss  Max,  with  such  a  tell-tale  eye 
as  yours  is.  What  is  it — hazel  or  gray.  It  is 
at  all  events  the  queen  of  colors  for  a  woman's 
eye." 

"  I  am  sure  now,  what  between  our  compli- 
ments and  politeness  we  are  both  as  Irish  as  Irish 
can  be,"  said  Portia  laughing.  "  But,  sh  !  Mrs. 
Candace  is  going  to  sing." 

"  If  she  intends  to  sing  the  scales  in  Italian  or 
phonetics  in  German  I  shall  escape  to  Grace's 
den  for  a  smoke." 

"  I  am  sure  she  will  not.  Her  repertoire  is  en- 
tirely made  up  of  old  English  ballads  or  Southern 
songs.  There — look.  She  is  putting  '  Way  down 
upon  the  Swanee  River '  on  the  music-rack." 


184  Zafcewoofc. 

He  sank  back  in  his  chair. 

"  Did  you  ever  read  those  darkey  songs  over  as 
literature?  "  he  asked.  "  If  you  never  have,  you 
ought  to  do  so.  You  will  find  nothing  in  them 
but  stray,  disconnected  thoughts,  and  yet  when 
they  are  sung  by  the  right  person  they  become 
oracles.  They  affect  me  like  the  study  of  the 
Sibylline  prophecies  or  the  finest  chapters  in 
Isaiah." 

Elizabeth's  voice  rang  out  with  the  first  words. 

"  It  has  the  timbre  for  this  sort  of  melody,"  he 
said  contentedly. 

Portia  found  herself  listening  with  a  new  in- 
terest to  the  familiar  song.  She  thought  of  the 
time  when  she  heard  Nilsson  sing  it,  the  tears 
raining  down  her  cheeks  in  the  first  agony  of 
orphanhood.  Now  the  words  had  a  larger  mean- 
ing. They  were  the  wail  of  seven  millions  of 
mankind  whose  voices  have  the  pathos  of  a 
people  for  generations  without  a  name  or  a  birth- 
right. 

"  It  was  a  shame  to  ask  you  to  sing  so  soon  after 
dinner,  dear  Mrs.  Candace,"  said  Ethel,  but  plac- 
ing with  entreating  looks  another  ballad  before 
her.  "  One  more—  please  !  " 

"  Then  I  shall  sing  a  long  forgotten  and  very 
simple  one,  but  it  always  gives  me  the  suggestions 
that  just  one  string  of  an  ^olian  harp  delicately 
struck  by  the  wind  does.  Do  you  remember — 


185 


'  Do  they  miss  me  at  home,  do  they  miss  me  ? 
Twould  be  an  assurance  most  dear.'  " 


Dr.  Brighteck  stood  beside  the  piano.  She 
glanced  towards  him  with  the  words  :  — 

"  '  To  know  at  this  moment  some  loved  one 
Were  saying  I  wish  she  were  here.'  " 

Her  white  lids  fell  as  if  she  either  did  not  want 
to  or  ought  not  to  read  his  intense  longing  vanish- 
ing with  the  fear  of  detection. 

It  was  a  company  that  broke  up  throughout 
the  evening  into  groups  of  two,  but  with  enough 
general  conversation  to  maintain  its  unity. 

When  Portia  went  upstairs  to  put  on  her 
wraps,  it  no  longer  seemed  either  impossible  or 
unreasonable  that  she  was  to  drive  with  Bryan 
Mallory  in  one  of  his  lofty  vehicles.  If  he  wanted 
her  to  drive  with  him,  the  old  cloak  and  debate- 
able  bonnet  must  weather  the  exposure.  She  felt 
happy.  She  really  loved  Ethel  for  having  invited 
her  to  this  dinner. 

And  Ethel  in  her  dressing-gown  in  Mrs. 
Candace'sroom  an  hour  later,  said  : 

"  The  dinner  was  my  silent  apology  to  Portia 
for  the  notion  I  had  about  those  gloves.  There 
is  a  little  good  in  me,  but  you  are  the  only  one 
who  can  force  it  into  action." 

"  Portia  had  a  good  time,"  said  Elizabeth,  kiss- 
ing Ethel's  flushed,  softened  face,  "  and  among  us 
all  we  must  manage  to  give  her  others." 


186  Xafcewoofr. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

WHEN  the  day  came  for  the  drive,  the  weather 
was  kind. 

A  languorous  southeast  wind  was  blowing. 
The  sky  looked  humid  and  warm.  There  was  a 
delicious  balminess  in  the  atmosphere.  The 
green  pines  spread  out  their  hands  as  if  thawing 
from  cold  pulses  the  paralysis  of  numberless 
frosts  and  rains.  The  lake  had  lost  its  steely  hue. 
It  was  a  lovely,  spring  day,  but  with  a  hint  of  that 
beguiling  treachery  possessed  by  some  women, 
and  adding  a  tone  of  mystery  and  suggestion. 

Portia  ventured  to  wear  a  Paris  wrap  that  was 
not  very  thick,  but  which,  although  several  years 
old,  looked  encouragingly  like  the  present  fash- 
ions. When  she  tried  it  on  and  saw  how  the  lus- 
trous silk  with  its  feather  trimmings  lent  a  soft- 
ness and  color  to  her  olive  skin,  no  nature-wor- 
shipper could  have  more  simply  thanked  the  day 
for  being  propitious.  Having  ventured  to  buy  a 
new  aigrette  for  the  old  bonnet,  as  well  as  fresh 
strings,  she  found  the  hat  which  all  winter 
had  so  persistently  worn  a  subdued,  unworldly  air 


Xaftewoofc.  187 

assume  a  smart  complacency,  lending  to  her 
face  an  assurance  it  had  not  borrowed  from  her 
heart  for  many  a  day.  Just  the  simple  facts  of  a 
north  wind  and  a  frosty  night  would  have  spoiled 
all  this,  she  thought,  and  one  of  those  irresistible 
impulses  of  human  nature  to  believe  that  God 
shifts  tempests  and  sunshine  to  suit  personal 
needs  possessed  her  spirit  with  a  sense  of  special 
Providence. 

So  when  Bryan  drove  up  in  a  lofty  two-wheeler, 
drawn  by  three  light  bays  tandem,  she  met  him 
with  a  comfortable  sense  of  being  rather  more 
adequate  in  appearance  than  her  usual  costumes 
might  have  indicated. 

His  face  betrayed  no  surprise  over  the  resur- 
rected splendor  of  her  wrap,  but  it  had  that  un- 
mistakable expression  which  any  man's  counte- 
nance wears  when  he  sees  a  woman  whom  he  is 
about  to  accompany  looking  better  than  usual. 
However,  he  was  now  so  deeply  interested  in 
Portia  that  she  might  have  taken  many  disen- 
chanting liberties  with  her  appearance  without  a 
particle  of  risk. 

It  seemed  like  old  times  to  her  to  be  sitting 
in  that  luxurious  vehicle  beside  a  "  fashionable  " 
young  man  and  bowling  over  smooth  roads  and 
through  a  charming  country.  The  return  of  a 
former  situation  brought  back  the  feeling  belong- 
ing to  it.  She  grew  gayer  and  brighter  with 


1 88  XafcewooO. 

every  mile  they  covered,  and  as  he  looked  into 
her  flashing  eyes  and  saw  the  mere  joy  of  living 
blot  out  the  incipient  melancholy  and  restore  a 
touch  of  girlishness,  his  interest  deepened. 

A  bewildering  contentment,  vaguely  ecstatic, 
stirred  his  deliberate  nature.  A  novel  uncer- 
tainty and  timidity  gradually  awoke  in  him  the 
query  whether  he  were  the  kind  of  man  such  a 
woman  could  possibly  love.  He  became  silent 
and  constrained.  Under  these  influences,  Portia, 
too,  grew  quieter,  reproaching  herself  that  she 
seemed  unable  to  be  more  entertaining. 

Bryan  held  the  reins  with  a  strong,  skilful 
hand.  The  leader  kept  up  a  steady  run  with 
which  the  other  horses  were  in  spirited  accord. 
Their  light  coats  shone  like  ripened  chestnuts 
freshly  torn  from  the  burr.  The  wheels  made  a 
muffled  crunching  in  the  sandy  roads  very  pleas- 
ant to  listen  to.  The  wind  was  in  their  faces.  It 
curled  the  hair  about  Portia's  temples.  It  left  a 
delicious  taste  of  salt  on  her  lips.  The  resinous 
fragrance  everywhere  suggested  miles  of  primeval 
forest. 

After  a  time  they  turned  and  began  making  a 
very  gradual  ascent,  reaching  in  a  little  while  the 
top  of  the  only  hill  for  miles  around.  It  was 
crowned  with  an  ill-kept  graveyard.  There  were 
many  nameless  mounds.  Here  and  there  rose  a 
pretentious  monument.  The  grass  was  tall  and 


Xafcewoofc.  189 

dry,  and  the  wind  on  this  elevation,  coming  in 
straight  from  the  sea  nine  or  ten  miles  away, 
crooned  through  the  scanty  spears  like  a  lone- 
some mother  unburdening  her  grief. 

Below  them  stretched  the  pines,  miles  in  ex- 
tent, their  even  green  tops  unbroken  by  a  clear- 
ing of  any  sort,  their  polished  needles  glistening 
in  the  sun,  and  their  gleaming,  dark-green  ex- 
panse brooded  upon  by  the  travelling  shadows, 
suggesting  now  a  field  of  grain  and  again  the 
grander  sweep  of  the  billowy  sea.  Far,  far  be- 
yond, like  a  strip  of  silk  ribbon  along  the  horizon, 
glistened  the  ocean,  while  dimly  visible  at  inter- 
vals appeared  a  sail  that  vanished  in  the  haze 
while  they  were  looking. 

"  This  is  an  unusual  sight,"  said  Portia.  "  I 
have  been  in  the  pines  and  on  the  borders  of  the 
pines,  but  never  before  have  I  looked  down  on 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  them.  It  is  like 
being  in  a  new  world,  solemn,  unsubstantial  and 
splendid,  a  world  immaterial,  made  up  solely  of 
movement  and  color." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bryan,  sententiously.  He  was  not 
a  talker  in  the  presence  of  a  beautiful  view. 

Presently  a  party  of  country  people,  packed 
closely  in  a  four- seated  open  vehicle,  dashed  to 
the  top  of  the  hill.  There  were  many  immediate 
exclamations. 

"  Look,  there  is  a  steamer !  "— - "  Do  you  think 


190  XahewooD. 

it  is  a  coaster?  " — "  How  many  sails  do  you  see?" 
— "  Oh,  did  you  ever  look  over  such  a  lot  of  pines 
before  ? " — "  I  hate  to  be  among  these  graves. 
Time  enough  for  that  one  of  these  days,  ha,  ha, 
ha!" 

Portia  glanced  at  Bryan  as  if  the  sanctity  of 
the  view  and  the  repose  of  the  sleepers  had  been 
desecrated.  "  I  do  not  think  I  shall  ever  express 
myself  again  over  the  beauty  of  scenery — at  least 
it  seems  so  to  me  now." 

"  Really,''  he  said,  "  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
such  expressions  as  those  we  have  heard  are  bet- 
ter than  none  at  all.  I  suppose  even  your  per- 
ceptions of  nature  were  once  rudimentary." 

"  Not  were,  but  are  still.  Everything  we  say  is 
rudimentary  in  its  adequacy." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bryan  again.  "  I  think,  though 
we  would  better  make  approaches  in  our  speech  to 
what  we  are  thinking  about." 

"  If  we  only  dared.  But  most  of  the  time  speech 
is  merely  the  cover  of  thought." 

"  You  are  the  kind  of  person  who  can  always 
speak  the  truth  or  else  keep  still,"  he  added. 
"The  abiding  mischief  is  done  by  the  people  be- 
tween these  two  extremes,  people  of  '  tact.'  They 
make  one  so  tired." 

The  party  in  the  four-seated  vehicle  now  started 
to  leave.  Their  driver  hurried  his  horses  reck- 
lessly over  the  narrow  road  curving  around  the 


XafcewooO.  i9I 

summit,  and  the  heavy  wheels  began  to  cut  into 
a  plot  the  mounds  of  which  were  near  the  edge. 

"  Look  out,"  cried  Bryan.  "You  are  going  to 
cut  into  those  graves." 

The  driver  turned  a  sunburned,  good-natured 
heavy  face  towards  him.  "  It  don't  matter,"  he 
shouted.  "  They'll  never  know." 

Portia  drew  up  her  shoulders  with  an  involun- 
tary cringe. 

"  O,  how  brief  is  our  power.  How  helpless  we 
shall  soon  all  be.  I  never  see  a  spot  like  this 
without  wondering  about  the  silent  voices  and 
buried  secrets.  I  think  I  would  know  it,  even 
lying  as  deep  as  that,"  and  she  pointed  to  a  high 
mound  much  overgrown  with  harsh,  waving,  reed- 
like  grass,  "  if  some  unthinking  person  walked 
over  my  body  or  let  his  horse  mar  the  last  little 
home  I  lived  in." 

"  No,  no,  you  wouldn't,"  said  Bryan,  with  much 
cheerful  energy.  "  If  there  is  one  thing  you  will 
leave  behind  when  you  go  away  from  this  life  it 
will  be  any  concern  for  a  mound  of  earth  enclos- 
ing a  something  just  as  material." 

Her  gray  eyes  expanded.  She  felt  hurt.  The 
next  instant  she  realized  he  was  looking  at  her 
tenderly. 

She  was  indeed  too  real  and  too  imbued  with 
life  at  just  that  moment  for  his  thought  of  death 
in  respect  to  her  to  seem  more  than  an  abstrac- 


192  Xaftewoofc. 

tion.  He  had  given  utterance  to  his  philosophy 
while  haunted  with  her  look  of  sweet  earnestness 
and  appreciating  her  sensitiveness  to  every  passing 
condition  or  episode.  Her  mobile  face  was  full 
of  subtle  expressions  and  perceptions  ;  it  was  this 
spiritual  variability  which  made  it  so  beautiful  to 
him. 

He  turned  the  horses  slowly  around. 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  down  into  those  pines 
for  an  hour  or  two  ?" 

"  O,  yes,  indeed,"  she  said  eagerly. 

They  went  a  long  distance  without  much  con- 
versation, but  their  sense  of  companionship  in- 
creased and  each  was  delightfully  and  soothingly 
conscious  of  the  other's  nearness. 

There  was  no  wind  when  they  came  fairly  under 
the  cover  of  the  forest.  The  roads  were  sufficiently 
sandy  for  the  wheels  scarcely  to  make  a  sound. 
The  growth  of  underbrush  was  scant,  and  there 
was  something  majestic  and  cloistral  about  the 
solitude. 

Portia's  feeling  of  freedom  grew  with  her  per- 
ception of  the  splendid  spaces  stretching  out  in 
solemn  vistas  through  which  the  sunshine  flick- 
ered. All  the  vague  lonesomeness  which  life  in  a 
boarding-house  had  fostered  melted  away.  It  was 
an  immense  relief  to  be  separated  for  one 
short  afternoon  from  conditions  whose  smallness 
she  could  never  lose  sight  of,  no  matter  how  sin- 


lafcewooD. 


'93 


cere  and  honest  her  purpose  to  make  the  best  of 
them.  It  was  also  delightful  to  be  with  a  man 
who  probably  had  no  experience  of  women  from 
the  point  of  view  of  their  possessing  a  remunera- 
tive talent.  She  had  for  a  long  time  wished  she  had 
such  a  talent,  not  only  because  it  was  what  was  ex- 
pected, even  demanded,  of  penniless  women,  but 
because  of  the  inestimable  practical  advantage  it 
would  be  to  her.  To  have  neither  money  nor 
the  power  to  make  it  professionally  blotted  a 
woman  from  the  world  socially. 

The  conventual  system,  notwithstanding  its 
repressions,  had  its  advantages.  It  afforded  a 
hiding-place  for  the  proud,  sensitive,  poor  woman 
with  the  tastes  and  habits  of  good-breeding,  but 
who,  in  other  respects,  was  simply  ordinary  and 
obliged  therefore  to  herd  with  those  whose  way 
of  thinking  and  mode  of  living  were  vulgar  and 
sordid.  She  mentally  balanced  life  as  she  now 
lived  it  and  life  in  a  convent.  Under  those  great 
trees,  with  their  fan-like  tops,  in  that  cool,  sweet 
spicy  air,  under  that  blue  sky  over  which  white 
clouds  drifted  with  the  soaring  swiftness  of  birds, 
the  thought  of  any  kind  of  freedom,  even  the 
freedom  of  a  boarding-house,  set  her  heart  a- 
beating  and  the  fresh,  vivid  color  leaping  to  her 
cheeks. 

Bryan  had  relaxed  his  hold  of  the  reins.  He 
was  sitting  a  little  bent  over.  The  horses  had 
13 


194  Xaftewoob. 

dropped  into  a  slow  walk.  The  road  had  become 
so  narrow  there  was  not  even  room  for  another 
vehicle  to  pass  easily. 

He  turned  to  her  with  a  sudden  question. 

"  Why  are  you  giving  these  lectures  ?  " 

"Why  am  I  giving  them?''  The  question  took 
her  breath  away.  "  Not  because  I  think  I  have 
any  special  aptitude,"  she  said,  after  a  very  lengthy 
pause  in  which  she  was  feeling  fluttered  and  tied 
again  to  an  environment  that,  a  minute  ago,  she 
thought  herself  so  far  away  from. 

"  What  do  you  do  it  for,  then  ?  " 

The  words  were  abrupt,  but  his  tone  was  gentle 
and  genuinely  inquiring. 

"  Why — why — can't  you  understand  ?" 

He  looked  up — shaking  his  head — and  his  eyes 
roamed  idly  over  the  rich  cloak  she  wore. 

She  noticed  his  glance  and  metaphorically  her 
heart  wrung  its  hands.  She  wished  she  had  had 
the  moral  courage  to  subject  her  old  jacket  with 
its  threadbare  seams  to  the  glare  of  this  drive. 
And  how  chilly  and  damp  the  woods  were  begin- 
ning to  feel ! 

She  stared  at  him  scrutinizingly.  A  deep  fur- 
row cut  itself  between  her  eyebrows. 

"  Tell  me,  Mr.  Mallory,"  she  said,  at  length,  her 
forehead  relaxing,  "  what  you  think  is  the  reason 
I  am  talking  on  Roman  Antiquities." 

The  horses  came  to  a  dead  halt   in  a  wide  am- 


XafcewooD.  195 

phitheatre  around  which  the  trees  far  taller  than 
usual  made  a  splendid  colonnade. 

He  almost  dropped  the  reins,  and  turning  around 
in  his  seat,  resting  his  arm  across  the  back,  looked 
at  her,  then  out  among  the  pines,  and  turning  to 
her  again  smiled  a  trifle  nonchalantly. 

"  I  suppose  I  want  to  know  if  you  are  imbued 
with  the  universal  nineteenth  century  ambition  of 
women.  Is  it  because  you  want  to  be  heard  and 
felt  ?  " 

"  I  want  a  place  in  the  world  while  I  am  in  it," 
said  Portia,  but  with  a  faint  question  in  her  voice 
as  if  she  wondered  whether  Mr.  Mallory  would 
deny  her  right  to  it. 

"Why,  yes.  That  is  human  and  an  awfully 
modest  way  of  putting  it.  But  it  isn't  what  I 
mean." 

"  Do  you  mean — do  I  wish  to  emphasize  my  in- 
dividuality ?  " 

He  laughed.  "  You  come  nearer  what  I  am 
trying  to  say." 

"  But  I  haven't  any  particular  individuality.  I 
am  just  an  impressible  woman  with  a  capacity  for 
being  or  becoming  highly  civilized.  I  am  not 
even  like  a  young  girl  I  heard  of  who  was  deter- 
mined to  be  something  and  so  decided  to  be 
universally  sympathetic." 

"  What  do  you  do  it  for,  then?" 

"  Mr.      Mallory,"     she    said,     expostulatingly, 


196  Xafcewoei). 

"  you  have  been  patient  enough  to  listen  to  me 
now  three  times.  I  think,  if  you  try,  you  can 
answer  your  own  question." 

"  I  would  never  have  asked  it,  if  I  could." 

The  color  suffused  her  face. 

Bryan  looked  up  and  saw  the  change. 

"  Have  I  hurt  you  ?  "  he  asked,  in  a  startled 
tone.  "  I'm  sorry.  I  never  thought  I  had  so 
much  curiosity  about  you,  don't  you  know  ?  " 

There  is  usually  but  one  thing  a  well-bred 
woman  will  forgive  a  man  in  the  way  of  express- 
ing curiosity,  and  that  is  about  her  lovers.  Although 
Portia  was  very  much  like  other  women,  yet, 
when  Bryan  spoke  so  contritely  and  apologetic- 
ally, she  desired  to  satisfy  him. 

"  I  lecture  for  money,  Mr.  Mallory,"  she  said 
gravely,  her  eyes  in  her  lap. 

"  For  money  ! "  he  exclaimed  in  amazement. 
"  Goodness  gracious,  you  are  not  making  any- 
thing." 

She  had  a  sudden,  immense  feeling  of  relief 
that  he  at  least  appreciated  a  fact  the  reverse  of 
which  Mrs.  Grace  was  constantly  emphasizing. 

"  No,  I  am  not  making — anything,  but  I 
thought — we  thought — the  committee  and  I 
thought,  that  perhaps  I  might  in  the  future.  This 
course  is  an  introductory  one." 

He  sat  looking  at  her  in  a  kind  of  stupid  maze. 
She  was  then  doing  all  that  hard  study,  cramming 


XafcewooO,  197 

her  memory,  subjecting  herself  to  the  comment 
of  fifty  or  sixty  persons  once  a  week,  just  for 
money — for  ten  dollars  a  night !  He  drew  a  sti- 
fled breath.  This  little  creature,  all  nerves  and  fire, 
as  susceptible  as  a  magnet,  as  dainty  as  a  wind- 
flower — needing  to  sell  her  brains  at  ten  dollars  a 
night,  while  he  had  thought  she  must  have  a  little 
left,  at  least  thirty  or  forty  thousand  say,  of  the 
great  Max  property — and  must  therefore  be  doing 
it  in  the  way  of  making  herself  a  social  force.  He 
would  have  liked  to  kick  himself. 

"  Mr.  Mallory/'  she  said,  with  increasing  tension 
in  her  clear  voice,  "  I  feel,  I  am  sure  it  must  be 
unbearable  for  you  to  hear  me.  I  can  see  that  it 
would  be.  No,  no,"  said  the  girl,  waving  her  hand 
nervously  in  dissent,  when  he  was  about  to  speak, 
"  I  want  to  ask  of  you,  as  a  favor,  to  never  come 
again — out  of  kindness  to  yourself,  please — and — 

She  could  not  go  on.  What  she  meant  to  say 
was  that  she  would  refund  him  the  money  for  the 
remaining  lecture.  He  had  made  her  feel  like  a 
beggar. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Max.  I  had  no  idea  things  were  so 
bad  with  you.  I  can't  forgive  myself.  I  was 
merely  studying  your  lectures  as  a  phase  of 
the  woman  question.  I  was  not  thinking  of  you 
as  much  as  of  the  fact  that  women  are  springing 
up  on  all  sides  as  talkers,  as  readers,  as  lecturers." 

"And  why  not?"    cried   Portia,  with    sudden 


198  Zafcewood. 

energy  and  a  frantic  desire  to  justify  them. 
"  Why  not,  indeed  ?  Men  spring  up  like  weeds, 
too,  in  the  same  vocation." 

"  You  have  expressed  it  exactly.  It  is  because 
they  are  weeds  they  flourish." 

For  a  minute  she  was  rebuked  by  the  inference 
his  words  made  her  draw,  but  recovering  herself, 
she  continued, 

"  There  are  women  who  should  speak.  They 
have  a  gift.  They  are  orators.  It  would  be  as 
cruel  to  repress  their  splendid  energy  as  it  would 
to  stifle  a  Patti  or  a  Nilsson,  as  wrong  as  it  would 
be  to  drive  Materna  or  Dus6  from  the  opera  and 
theatre — only —  Alas  !  I  am  not  one  of  the  gifted 
few.  But  I  need,"  her  honesty  impelled  her  to 
the  final  utterance,  "  I  need  to  earn  money,  and 
this  way  opened  first." 

"  Miss  Max,  if  I  could  get  down  in  the  dust  on 
my  knees  to  ask  your  pardon,  the  condition 
would  be  an  easy  one." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  only  said  what  everybody 
is  thinking,"  replied  Portia  ruefully. 

"  All  I  hear  on  every  hand  is  that  the  lectures 
are  giving  the  greatest  satisfaction  and  that  it  is 
simply  delightful  to  have  a  lady  and  not  some 
ordinary  woman  refresh  our  memories  on  subjects 
we  have  all  forgotten." 

"The  subjects  are  awfully  dry,"  said  Portia, 
"  but  I  don't  know  enough  to  talk  on  topics  of  the 


laftewoofc. 


199 


day.  That  means  such  a  deep  back  ground  of 
gathered  knowledge.  I  can  read  up  on  Roman 
Antiquities  and  not  have  to  stand  in  terror  of 
digressive  questions  that  embrace  the  universe." 

"  You  are  most  wise." 

She  smiled  at  the  na'ivet£  of  his  reply. 

"  Do  you  forgive  me,  Miss  Max?  " 

"Freely,"  she  said,  laughing. 

If  Bryan  has  been  unwise  in  speech  ..e  was  not 
unwise  in  action,  for  he  continued  the  drive  till 
the  conversation  so  fully  reverted  to  other  themes 
that  they  both  recovered  from  the  awkwardness 
into  which  his  theories  had  launched  them. 

Strange  to  say,  Portia  liked  him  better  than 
ever,  but  with  a  sinking  conviction  when  he  left 
her  on  the  threshold  of  her  tower,  that  whatever 
romance  he  might  have  cherished,  it  was  shattered 
forever  by  the  sordid  circumstances  of  her  life. 
With  the  two-edged  sword  of  her  knowledge  of 
both  sides  of  a  situation,  she  decided  that  his 
point  of  view  must  necessarily  be  a  restricted  one. 
The  only  thing  she  found  fault  with,  therefore,  was 
her  own  impulsive  acceptance  of  his  invitation  to 
drive. 


200  Xahcwoofc. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  ball  for  the  "  Children's  Day  Nursery," 
and  the  last  one  of  the  season  was  to  be  given  at 
the  'Lakewood.'  The  preparations  assumed  pro- 
portions of  more  than  local  importance.  A 
special  train  was  to  run  from  New  York.  The 
guests  from  all  the  hotels  were  to  join  in  making 
the  evening  a  conspicuous  and  brilliant  one. 

Millicent  was  wild  with  delight,  for  she  was  suf- 
ficiently rested  from  the  onerous  dissipation  of 
the  city  to  hail  a  brief  return  of  the  winter  gaiety. 
Between  her  and  Miss  Beadle  endless  discussions 
on  dress  were  mingled  with  anticipating  queries 
of  possible  new  arrivals. 

Meanwhile  Perth  let  three  or  four  days  elapse 
during  which  he  elaborated  his  plans  with  Mr. 
Gordon.  It  was  finally  decided  that  the  latter  was 
to  embody  the  magnificent  remnants  of  a  more 
magnificent  fortune  gained  from  gold  and  lands 
in  California  and  that  a  succession  of  misfortunes 
had  brought  on  incipient  softening  of  the  brain 
which  it  was  to  be  Perth's  constant  effort  to  avert 
through  the  most  unwearied  devotion.  Whatever 


Xafcewoofc.  201 

peculiar  acts  Mr.  Gordon  committed,  he  was  to 
second,  trusting  to  his  wits  for  explanations  to 
Millicent  as  exigencies  arose. 

As  the  older  man  felt  confident  his  schemes 
would  be  crowned  with  success,  and  as  his  chief 
fear  was  that  Perth  would  spoil  everything  by 
some  impromptu  modification,  the  latter  faithfully 
promised  to  wait  for  his  cue  as  implicitly  as  if  he 
were  an  actor  on  a  real  stage. 

Everything  therefore  being  ready  for  a  begin- 
ning, one  evening,  two  days  before  the  ball,  Perth 
went  down  to  the  office  before  dinner,  hoping  to 
intercept  Millicent,  who,  by  this  time,  was  in  a 
desperate  frame  of  mind  over  an  intimacy  becom- 
ing more  golden  the  farther  away  it  receded. 

There  were  to  be  some  amateur  theatricals  that 
night  to  which  Mr.  Gordon  had  bade  him  manage 
to  invite  her  informally.  A  note  accordingly  being 
out  of  the  question  he  had  gone  downstairs  early* 
knowing  she  often  did  likewise. 

He  was  growing  anxious  when  the  momentarily 
ceasing  whirr  of  the  elevator  led  him  to  glance 
from  the  paper  he  was  reading.  She  stepped  out, 
unattended. 

He  felt  like  a  swimmer  making  a  last  desperate 
pull  for  the  shore.  What  if  Gordon  were  all 
wrong  ?  What  if  Alice's  woman's  wit  were  good 
for  nothing  more  than  putting  matters  into  the 
most  hopeless  possible  jumble  ? 


202  Xattewood. 

Laying  his  paper  across  his  knees,  he  looked 
steadily  at  her  to  give  her  an  opportunity  to 
bow. 

The  crudities  of  youth  are  usually  guardian 
angels. 

Millicent  couldn't  possibly  refrain  from  a  casual 
glance,  and  when,  after  almost  a  week  of  heart- 
aches, she  saw  the  eyes  she  had  called  beloved  in 
her  secret  soul,  fixed  upon  her  with  an  unmistak- 
able warmth,  she  nodded  indifferently  but  propi- 
tiatingly. 

He  sprang  up  with  alacrity,  meeting  her  in  the 
middle  of  the  hall. 

There  was  a  tacit,  instinctive  effort  on  the 
part  of  both  to  act  as  if  no  tremendous  gulf 
of  consuming  self-consciousness  had  separated 
them,  and  each  carried  this  off  with  perfect  suc- 
cess. 

"  It  is  such  a  chilly  night  I  think  you  will  find 
the  settee  comfortable,"  and  he  led  her  to  a 
cozy  recess  beside  the  fireplace.  "  What  have 
you  been  doing  all  day  ?  "  he  inquired,  bridging 
over  the  gap  of  those  other  days  during  which 
they  had  not  spoken. 

"  So  much  that  was  agreeable.  We  did  the 
usual  things  of  course  this  morning-— walked  and 
drove.  I  am  expecting  Miss  Beadle  down  every 
minute.  I  don't  know  why  she  doesn't  come." 
She  set  her  head  back  a  little  stiffly.  "  The  most 


X-aftewoofc.  203 

delightful  event  of  the  day  was  the  honor  of 
a  call  from  Mrs.  Darlington.  It  was  so  unex- 
pected. She  and  mamma  were  friends  in  Wash- 
ington three  winters  ago,  but  mamma  not  being 
here  I  didn't  think  she  would  take  the  trouble  to 
come  to  see  me.  She  did  though,"  Millicent 
shook  her  head  gleefully,  "  and  it  means  ever  so 
many  lovely  opportunities.  She  presented  me  with 
a  course  ticket  to  some  lectures  being  given  at  a 
few  of  the  cottages  by  a  Miss  Max.  She  says 
nobody  can  join  the  class  except  on  invitation. 
Very  exclusive,  you  perceive." 

He  swallowed  an  envious  lump  swelling  in  his 
throat.  If  Millicent  should  be  taken  up  by  the 
cottagers,  where  would  he  be  ? 

"  I  have  always  heard  Mrs.  Darlington  never 
forgot  old  friends,"  he  said,  humbly. 

"  She  is  simply  lovely.  I  like  to  look  straight 
into  her  eyes — they  are  so  true  and  sweet." 

He  felt  in  some  way  as  if  this  last  remark  were 
an  implication  against  his  own  orbs. 

"  Are  you  interested  in  the  theatricals  to- 
night ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Very,"  she  replied,  not  altogether  able  to  re- 
press the  eagerness  in  her  voice. 

"  I  happen  to  have  a  number  of  tickets.  Will 
you  take  a  couple  for  yourself  and  Miss  Beadle 
and  let  me  sit  beside  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  Miss  Beadle  hasn't  bought  any  yet 


204  Xaftewoofc. 

— and — and  I'll  say  '  yes,'  anyway."  She  looked 
at  him  with  a  poorly  concealed  smile  of  intense 
satisfaction. 

"  I'll  join  you  here  then  in  the  office  ?  " 

"  Very  well."  Her  attention  was  already 
arrested  by  a  small,  little,  extremely  ugly-looking 
man  nervously  hastening  toward  them. 

"  Ah,  here  comes  Mr.  Gordon.  Do  you  know 
him?" 

"  No,"  replied  the  girl  distantly. 

"  He  is  the  very  best  fellow  in  the  world.  He 
has  had  all  kinds  of  misfortunes.  His  mind  in 
consequence  appears  a  little  weak  just  now.  He 
is  not  really  off,  but  somehow  he  is  different.  I 
have  no  doubt  he  will  rebound.  He  is  devoted 
to  me — comes  to  the  bank  at  all  hours,  merely,  he 
says,  to  be  able  to  look  at  me." 

She  smiled,  much  pleased,  but  with  affected 
incredulity. 

"  He  stays  at  the  bank  whole  mornings.  Some- 
times the  only  way  I  can  get  rid  of  him  is  to  go 
off  with  him." 

"  You  are  very  kind,  I  am  sure." 

"  Oh,  no, — but  I  wouldn't  hurt  him.  Ah,  Mr. 
Gordon,"  and  Perth  held  out  his  hand. 

Gordon  shook  it  energetically  and  with  many 
effusive  wiggles  spreading  over  his  body  so  sinu- 
ously that  Millicent  wondered  if  he  had  any 
bones.  He  so  nearly  bowed  to  her  that  Perth 


Xafeewoofc. 


205 


saw  he  was  expected  to  introduce  them,  which  he 
did  to  the  girl's  rising  surprise. 

Her  displeasure  momentarily  took  the  wind 
from  her  lover's  sails,  but  Mr.  Gordon  drew  up  a 
chair,  sat  down  on  it  astride,  his  arms  folded 
across  the  back,  and  began  asking  questions  so 
rapidly  that  she  forgot  herself  in  his  terrible 
volubility. 

Hearing  the  rustle  of  a  dress  and  looking 
around  she  beheld  Miss  Beadle.  She  welcomed 
her  chaperon  with  a  radiant  smile. 

But  that  lady  was  staring  at  Mr.  Gordon  scru- 
tinizingly  and  with  a  gleam  of  puzzled  recognition. 

He  was  so  busy  talking,  however,  that  appar- 
ently he  did  not  see  her,  though  she  stood  a 
minute  beside  them. 

Finally  he  looked  up. 

All  over  her  fine,  usually  colorless  skin  stole 
the  shadow  of  a  blush,  lending  a  wonderful  soft- 
ness and  youthfulness  to  her  expression. 

"  Miss  Beadle !  Is  it  not  ? "  he  exclaimed, 
after  a  moment's  silence,  evidently,  on  her  part, 
charged  with  teeming  memories. 

"  Mr.  Gordon — of  Chicago?" 

"  San  Francisco,"  he  replied,  promptly. 

"  Oh,"  with  a  shade  of  disappointed  bewilder- 
ment. 

"  But  formerly  of  Chicago.  Dick  Gordon  of 
Augusta,  Maine,  twenty-five  years  ago." 


206  Xaftewoofc. 

"  I  thought  I  knew  you,"  and  she  sank  down 
on  the  settee  beside  Millicent. 

Gordon  having  touched  Perth's  knee,  he  rose 
irresolutely,  asking  Millicent  to  take  a  turn  to  see 
what  the  weather  promised.  "  If  it  should  be 
fair,  every  seat  will  be  filled  to-night." 

"  I  hope  it  will  be  clear,"  she  said  eagerly. 
"  The  play  will  be  better  if  there  is  a  full  house." 

"  Don't  run  off  with  him,"  said  Gordon  effu- 
sively as  the  young  people  walked  away.  "  If  he 
is  not  my  son  he  may  be  my  heir.  I  never  lose 
sight  of  him  long  at  a  time." 

She  stared  haughtily  at  the  swarthy,  meagre 
face  of  Perth's  worshipper.  He  returned  her 
look  with  one  of  mingled  suspicion  and  hostility. 

"  How  can  you  stand  it?"  she  asked,  as  they 
sauntered  down  the  corridor. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mind,  personally.  He  is  the  soul 
of  goodness.  And  then  he  is  so  genuinely  devot- 
ed to  me  that  I  suppose  I  am  rather  flattered." 

"  Is  he  in  earnest  about  making  you  his  heir?" 

"  You  heard  what  he  said,"  replied  Perth,  laugh- 
ing. 

"  Is  he — well,  awfully  rich  ?  " 

"  He  doesn't  think  so  !  A  trifling  amount  of 
ten  millions.  What  is  that  after  having  had 
thirty,"  said  the  young  man  with  immense  scorn. 

She  glanced  at  him,  impressed  to  the  extent  of 
muteness. 


Xafcewoofc.  207 

"  Did  you  notice  your  chaperon  when  she 
recognized  him  ?  "  he  inquired.  "  It  looks  as  if 
there  had  been  an  antediluvian  romance  between 
them." 

"  Oh,  I  wonder — if  there  has  !  "  she  clasped  her 
hands  ecstatically.  "  Wouldn't  it  be  too  delight- 
ful to  watch  Miss  Beadle  in  the  agonies  of  a 
frantic  love-affair.  I  never  thought  of  such  a 
thing  as  my  chaperon 

"  Being  in  love  with  mine,"  ventured  Perth, 
archly. 

"  H'm  !  And  does  he  hang  around  you  to  that 
extent  ?  " 

"  He  only  came  down  a  day  or  two  ago.  I 
can't  tell.  Perhaps  he  will  let  me  off  a  little  at 
Lakewood.  He  is  beginning  to  pick  up  some 
acquaintances.  He  was  very  lonesome  in  New 
York." 

"  It  wouldn't  be  wise  to  forget  those  ten  mill- 
ions, would  it  ?  " 

"  Money  never  was  my  chief  consideration." 

She  glanced  at  him  under  her  lashes.  "  He  is 
mortally  ugly  to  look  at,  isn't  he  ?  '' 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  You  will  be  surprised,  no 
doubt,  then,  when  I  tell  you  I  find  him  rather 
fascinating." 

"  Oh  !  "  she  gave  a  little  scream. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  because  he  is  so  magnetic." 

"  You  mean  repulsive  !  " 


ZaftewooO. 

"  Positively  no.  And  then,  you  know,  I  am 
expecting  to  see  his  original  strong  mind  assert 
itself  with  all  its  former  tremendous  force.  Mean- 
while— well,  he  is  a  true  friend,  and  I  intend  to 
stand  by  him  through  thick  and  thin." 

"  I  admire  your  loyalty.  But  I  hope  he  will 
keep  at  a  distance — from — from  my  neighbor- 
hood." 

They  were  now  joined  by  Miss  Beadle  and  Mr. 
Gordon  in  animated  conversation,  over  old  times 
it  is  safe  to  presume. 

The  two  ladies  presently  went  in  to  dinner. 
The  others  lingered  behind  to  wait  for  Mrs. 
Caruthers. 

"  The  beginning  is  everything,  old  fellow,  and 
it  was  first-rate.  By  the  way,  Miss  Beadle  is  a 
very  nice  sort  of  woman." 

"  I  am  afraid  of  her.  She  affects  me  like  a 
Medusa." 

"  I  have  seen  her  in  the  past  play  the  part  of 
Circe  to  perfection.  That  was  twenty  years 
ago." 

"  When  I  was  in  knickerbockers !  "  retorted 
Perth  contemptuously.  "  She  is  an  antique  now." 

"  So  is  the  Venus  de  Medici.  Don't  scoff  at 
twenty  years  ago.  You  will  be  there  before  you 
know  it.  And  you  will  find  it  a  mighty  nice, 
cool,  breezy  place.  It  is  a  temperate  region  with- 
out any  of  the  heats  of  summer  or  chills  of  win- 


XaftewooD. 


209 


ter.  I'll  venture  to  say  that  if  Miss  Beadle — such 
a  thing  isn't  possible,  of  course, — could  fall  in 
love,  she  would  have  more  true  sentiment  in  five 
minutes  than  that  little  girl  of  yours  in  a  year." 

"  I  wouldn't  change,"  said  Perth,  complacently. 

"  Well,  I'll  see  you  through,  but,  upon  my 
word,  I  wouldn't  take  her  as  a  gift." 

"  I  would  like  to  see  you  tempted." 

"  Miss  Beadle,"  said  Millicent,  in  a  delighted 
whisper,  as  if  Perth  might  overhear  her  at  a  dis- 
tance of  two  hundred  feet.  "  Mr.  Kent  says  he 
happens  to  have  a  lot  of  tickets  for  to-night,  and 
so,  as  we  hadn't  bought  ours  yet,  you  know — I 
took  two  from  him,  one  for  you  and  one  for  me." 

Miss  Beadle's  face  assumed  an  incipient  severity. 
"  Where  is  he  going  to  sit  ?  " 

"  Near  us,  I  suppose.  One  usually  buys  seats 
all  together." 

"  Very  well,  but  do  not  do  so  again  before  con- 
sulting me." 

"  When  did  you  know  Mr.  Gordon  ? "  asked 
the  young  girl. 

"  O,  it  is  so  long  ago  I  have  almost  forgotten." 

"  You  blushed  so  when  he  spoke  to  you." 

"  I  couldn't  blush  if  I  tried.  My  skin  is  too 
old  and  thick." 

"But  you  did." 

"  Will  you  have  your  roast  beef  as  rare  as  this?" 

"  Yes.     Was  he  an  old  beau  of  yours  ?  " 
14 


2io  XafcewooD. 

"  He  was  young  when  I  was." 

"You  must  have  been  very  amiable  ever  to 
have  permitted  him  to  pay  you  the  least  mite  of 
attention." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  him  ?  " 

"  O, — so  horrid  to  look  at.  Don't  you  think 
so  ?  Such  little  bits  of  beads  of  eyes.  Such  a 
wiggler." 

"  Mr.  Gordon  is  not  handsome  in  the  strictest 
sense  of  the  term,  but  he  is  something  far  better. 
He  is  clever." 

"  Clever !  Why  " — and  she  leaned  far  over  the 
table  to  whisper — "  he  is  threatened  with  soften- 
ing of  the  brain." 

"The  idea!  He  couldn't  have  softening  of 
the  brain.  He  has  a  mind  as  alert  as  a  main- 
spring." 

"  A  mainspring  breaks  now  and  then." 

"  It  snaps,  but  it  never  slowly  runs  down." 

"  Yes  it  does." 

"  You  are  so  literal." 

"  Well,  all  I  know  is  Mr.  Edwards  said  so," 
and  Millicent  compressed  her  lips  as  if  she  had 
given  utterance  to  an  infallible  dictum. 

"  Mr.  Edwards  would  better  be  careful  how  he 
goes  about  clouding  a  man's  reputation." 

"  There  are  different  kinds  of  that  trouble,  they 
say,  now.  You  can  get  all  over  it  without  dan- 
ger of  its  coming  back.  It  isn't  insanity." 


211 


"  He  never  had  it,"  said  Miss  Beadle  with  de- 
termination. 

"  And  he  says  the  poor  fellow  is  so  awfully  fond 
of  him  that  he  haunts  his  steps  night  and  day." 

"It  looks  very  bad  for  Perth  Edwards." 

"  Quite  the  contrary,  I  should  say.  It  means, 
I  think,  that  he  finds  something  splendid  and 
strong  in  his  young  friend  to  lean  on.  I  told  Mr. 
Edwards,  though,  that  personally  his  chaperon 
was  disagreeable." 

Miss  Beadle's  brow  wrinkled  in  unconscious 
perplexity  and  annoyance.  She  left  the  last  re- 
mark unanswered,  not  willing  to  descant  further 
on  the  merits  or  demerits  of  her  old  friend.  Be- 
sides, a  long  buried  memory  was  obstinately 
asserting  itself.  She  sat  there  prosaically  eating 
her  dinner  with  a  good  appetite  ;  but  in  spirit  she 
was  young  again  and  standing  with  Dick  Gordon 
on  the  verge  of  an  unlimitable  prairie.  She  felt 
the  hot  wind  sweeping  the  brown  locks  back  from 
her  temples.  She  saw  her  former  lover  with  his 
head  uncovered,  his  forehead  unwrinkled  and  un- 
pinched  by  disease  or  care.  She  was  looking 
with  him  at  a  crystalline  vault  of  blue  reaching 
down  in  a  vast  circle  over  a  billowy  expanse  of 
prairie  through  whose  grasses  were  moaning  the 
sighs  and  indecipherable  sadness  of  an  unpeopled 
solitude.  They  were  watching  the  sun,  a  hot 
crimson  ball,  lighting  up  the  haze  on  the  horizon 


212  Zafeewoofc. 

with  opaline  colors  and  sending  streaks  of  radi- 
ance over  the  ocean  of  swaying  verdure.  They 
stood  thus  together,  an  eager  question  on  his  lips 
unspoken,  an  eager  heart  on  her  part  wishing  to 
respond.  For  a  reason  not  quite  known  to 
either  the  opportunity  had  passed.  He  had  gone 
farther  West.  She  had  returned  East.  Yet  nei- 
ther could  forget  a  relation  so  utterly  without  ex- 
pression in  words  that  it  fell  to  pieces  when  they 
were  separated  from  its  very  intangibility. 

Twenty  years  had  passed  and  here  they  were 
tossed  together  by  chance  beside  the  Atlantic, 
each  tired,  middle-aged  heart  carrying  unstained 
its  youthful  ideal  and  each  knowing  so  well  the 
loneliness  coming  with  the  severance  of  tie  after 
tie,  though  the  consciousness  might  not  have 
stirred  in  them  an  abiding  sense  of  instability  had 
their  youthful  associations  remained  unbroken. 

Millicent  would  indeed  have  been  astonished 
could  she  have  known  that  beneath  the  immobile 
mask  before  her  was  a  throbbing  energy  of  ca- 
pacity to  love,  a  steadfast  persistency  of  loyalty 
which  would  put  to  the  blush  her  own  variable 
heroics  of  confidence  and  despair. 

They  went  immediately  to  their  rooms  after 
dinner  to  make  some  slight  alteration  in  their 
dress.  While  they  were  thus  engaged,  a  boy  left 
the  tickets  at  the  door. 

Millicent  added  a  pretty  lace  bertha  to  her  cos- 


ZaftewooO.  213 

tume,  happy  in  the  thought  that  Perth  had  laid  a 
long  plan  by  which  he  could  have  her  very  much 
to  himself  while  not  offending  her  chaperon. 

When  they  reached  the  office,  they  saw  him  at 
some  distance,  wandering  restlessly  back  and  forth, 
but  stopping  to  speak  at  every  turn  to  a  group  of 
people  whom  Miss  Beadle's  quick  glance  labelled 
as  promiscuous.  Mr.  Gordon  appeared  to  be  the 
magnet  of  the  motley  collection. 

As  soon  as  Perth  discovered  the  two  ladies  he 
hastened  towards  them  with  an  expression  at 
once  conciliatory  and  eager.  They  walked  along 
together  to  the  ball-room  where  the  play  was  to 
be  given. 

All  at  once,  to  her  surprise  and  displeasure, 
Miss  Beadle  found  herself  one  with  the  little 
group,  the  various  members  of  which  were  doing 
their  utmost  to  entertain  Mr.  Gordon.  He  intro- 
duced her  without  ceremony  to  a  half  dozen  of 
his  newly-made  acquaintances,  performing  the 
same  gratuitous  service  for  Millicent  who  was  in 
a  quandary  between  her  delight  in  having  Perth 
at  her  side  and  chagrin  at  being  blended  with  a 
lot  of  unaristocratic-looking  people  whom  she 
didn't  know  anything  about. 

"You  see,  my  dear,"  Miss  Beadle  found  an 
opportunity  to  say  in  a  low  tone,  "  what  taking 
those  tickets  has  involved  us  in.  What  would  your 
father  say  if  he  could  see  us  at  this  moment  ?  " 


la  he  WOOD. 

"  Give  me  your  tickets,  Miss  Beadle,"  said  Mr. 
Gordon,  as  they  drew  near  the  door. 

Being  in  almost  as  advanced  a  state  of  general 
perplexity  as  Millicent,  she  handed  them  to  him. 

At  the  door  there  was  a  great  ado. 

The  company  of  strangely  assorted  people  came 
to  a  dead  halt  while  Mr.  Gordon  drew  out  seven 
or  eight  more  tickets  from  his  vest-pocket,  point- 
ing with  his  thumb  very  much  as  the  father  of  a 
family  might,  right  and  left,  until  he  had  included 
all  his  guests. 

Meanwhile  they  made  a  perfect  blockade  at  the 
entrance,  and  Millicent,  glancing  over  her  shoulder 
to  see  how  many  were  kept  waiting,  discovered 
Mrs.  Grace  embracing  the  situation  with  an 
amused  smile  and  Mrs.  Darlington  gazing  at  her 
intently  and  with  considerable  surprise. 

She  turned  to  her  chaperon  and  whispered, — 
"  O,  it  is  horrid  !  " 

But  Miss  Beadle  did  not  hear,  for  even  in  that 
noisy  situation  Mr.  Gordon  had  alluded  to  prairies, 
calling  the  same  glow  to  her  face  that  had  touched 
it  when  they  first  met. 

They  were  finally  inside,  marching  like  a  school 
to  a  row  of  chairs  in  the  centre  and  unoccupied, 
except  one,  which  held  Mrs.  Caruthers,  hand- 
somely dressed  and  swaying  a  delicate  lace  fan. 
She  appeared  as  much  surprised  as  Millicent  over 
the  vast  extent  of  Mr.  Gordon's  hospitality,  but, 


XahewooD.  215 

as  if  appreciating  his  cleverness,  watched  him 
assign  the  seats. 

There  were  two  across  the  aisle.  These  he  re- 
served for  Miss  Beadle  and  himself. 

Millicent  was  delightfully  placed  between  Perth 
and  his  cousin,  and  her  previous  annoyance  van- 
ished. 

Miss  Beadle's  now  temperate  nature  began  to 
warm  under  the  delicate  attentions  of  her  old 
lover.  Responsibility's  harsh  claim  passed  into 
temporary  oblivion.  She  glanced  once  or  twice 
indulgently  at  Perth,  thinking  him  a  fine,  manly 
young  fellow,  and  that  Mr.  Kent  would  perhaps 
better  reflect  before  separating  his  daughter  from 
a  suitor  whose  worst  fault  was  having  no  expecta- 
tions. 

The  play  was  a  miserably  poor  one,  but  no  one 
of  the  quartette  cared  for  that.  Millicent  was 
sony  as  each  act  came  to  an  end.  Miss  Beadle 
was  wrapped  in  reminiscences.  When  Mr.  Gordon 
suddenly  asked  her  if  she  didn't  find  the  farce 
tiresome,  she  assented — for  as  long  as  he  did,  she 
did. 

He  sprang  from  his  seat,  crossing  the  aisle  to 
Perth  and  whispering  in  his  ear.  Thereupon 
Perth  said  to  Millicent, 

"  The  play  is  detestable.     Don't  you  think  so?" 

She  nodded  with  an  assenting,  piquant  grimace. 

"  Suppose  we  go  out,"  he  suggested. 


216  Xaftewoofc. 

A  vision  of  a  long  delightful  walk  in  the  still 
corridors  and  through  the  glass-covered  rotunda, 
its  atmosphere  laden  with  the  perfume  of  numer- 
ous flowering  plants  flitted  through  her  mind. 

She  rose,  greatly  pleased. 

He  leaned  over  to  his  cousin.  "  I'll  come  back 
for  you,  Alice,  when  the  play  is  over." 

In  another  minute  they  were  in  the  corridor 
together,  although  followed  by  Mr.  Gordon  and 
Miss  Beadle. 

Perth  turned  in  at  the  first  parlor  door.  He 
led  Millicent  to  a  divan.  "  It  is  rather  hot  for 
walking,  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Perhaps,"  she  replied. 

Mr.  Gordon  briskly  drew  up  two  easy-chairs  in 
front  of  the  young  people,  beginning  a  conversa- 
tion with  Mr.  Edwards  with  as  much  eagerness  as 
though  they  had  not  seen  each  other  for  a  year. 

Millicent  began  to  pout.  She  considered  the 
two  men  extremely  rude. 

The  ladies  thus  temporarily  set  aside  became 
constrained. 

Mr.  Gordon  soon  looked  at  his  watch.  "  I  saw 
an  old  friend  in  the  front  row.  Haven't  met  him 
in  ten  years.  I  noticed  a  vacant  seat  beside  him." 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  to  join  him?  "  asked  Miss 
Beadle,  good-naturedly.  She  suddenly  longed  to 
go  to  her  room  to  gather  her  thoughts  together 
after  such  a  surprising  evening. 


ILafcewooO.  217 

"  If  you'll  excuse  me  I  think  I  would,"  he  said 
with  alacrity.  The  words  were  no  sooner  spoken 
than  he  seemed  to  have  disappeared. 

"  Perhaps  you  think  you  ought  to  go  back  to 
Mrs.  Caruthers,"  said  Millicent  to  Perth,  but  con- 
fidently expecting  an  eager  dissent. 

"  I  suppose  I  ought,"  he  replied  regretfully. 
"  She  has  invited  Mr.  Gordon  and  me  to  make 
two  at  a  whist-party  in  her  parlor  after  the  play." 

"Yes?"  said  the  young  girl,  a  hot  color  in  her 
cheeks,  her  eyes  flashing. 

"  I  am  awfully  sorry.  May  I  hope  to  see  you 
to-morrow  evening  ?  " 

Not  daring  to  say  no — she  had  suffered  too 
much  already — she  nodded  half-assent. 

"  Good-night,  Miss  Beadle." 

The  elder  lady,  pleased  with  this  early  depart- 
ure, said  good-night  affably. 

"  Good-night  " — to  Millicent. 

When  he  was  gone,  she  turned  indignantly  to 
her  chaperon. 

"  Wasn't  it  an  outrage,  the  whole  thing  ? 
They  got  us  out  here  on  purpose,  to  get  rid 
of  us."  She  beat  the  carpet  softly  with  her  foot. 
"  Mr.  Edwards  is  just  like  every  other  man,  after 
all !  Now  that  he  is  getting  so  popular,  he 
assumes  a  lot  of  airs  and  forgets  to  be  polite. 
I  didn't  think  it  of  him,  indeed  I  didn't." 

"  My  dear,  since    we   allowed   ourselves  to  be 


2i8  Xahewoofc. 

entertained  —  so  —  so  promiscuously,  so — indefi- 
nitely— so  en  masse  " — she  laughed  as  an  older 
person  will  after  an  awkward  situation  is  at  all 
well  ended,  "  we  should  be  prepared  to  take  the 
consequences." 

"  I  should  think  you  would  manage  better. 
I've  always  heard  you  were  simply  perfect  as  a 
chaperon." 

"  You  took  the  management  quite  out  of  my 
hands,  my  dear.  But  don't  think  anything  more 
about  it.  If  you  knew  Mr.  Gordon  as  well  as 
I  do,  you  would  find  he  does  everything  differ- 
ently from  other  people." 

"  I  hate  such  men.     They  are  social  blots." 

"  My  dear  !  be  careful  what  you  are  saying." 

"  I  didn't  suppose  Perth  Edwards  was  such  a 
namby-pamby  fellow,  either." 

"  He  had  to  keep  his  engagement." 

"  You  mean  he  preferred  other  society  to  ours 
most  of  the  evening." 

"  Really,  that  is  no  lack  of  compliment,  unless, 
of  course,  he  is  in  love  with  you." 

"  He  isn't,"  said  Millicent,  defiantly  and  sadly, 
but  silenced. 

"  Come — come  upstairs,  child.  You  have  been 
doing  too  much  to-day." 

Meanwhile  Perth  had  joined  his  older  friend  in 
a  room  opening  off  one  of  the  side  corridors.  He 
looked  anxious  and  gloomy. 


Zafcewood. 


219 


"  Seems  to  me,  Gordon,  this  is  a  queer  way  of 
compassing  our  ends." 

"  We  are  getting  along  swimmingly.  Why, 
Miss  Beadle  already  views  you  through  my  spec- 
tacles. She  can't  see  very  clearly  yet,  but  she 
soon  will  perceive  you  to  be  truly  a  star  of  the 
first  magnitude." 

"  And  Miss  Kent  will  get  so  disgusted  with  us 
that  she  will  end  in  throwing  me  completely 
overboard/' 

"  Never  fear.  Of  course  she  is  vexed  now,  but 
she  will  react — react  before  she  falls  asleep  to-night. 
Importance,  popularity,  prospects  are  what  you 
need  in  her  eyes.  She  is  a  worldly  little  thing." 

"  You  may  help  me  attain  my  end,  Gordon,  but 
without  remarks,  understand,  on  Miss  Kent." 

"  Forgive  me.     It  wasn't  nice." 

"  No,  I  don't  think  it  was,  and  you  mustn't  do 
it  again,  or  I  will  do  my  own  courting  in  my  own 
way." 

"  Miss  Beadle  has  a  magnificent  figure,  hasn't 
she  ?  I  always  did  admire  a  tall  woman  with  a 
fine,  free  step." 

"  Oh,  she  is  so  old  I  never  notice  her  one  way 
or  the  other,"  said  Perth  grufHy. 

His  companion  turned  away,  softly  whistling. 


220  Xafeewood. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MlLLICENT  took  an  early  breakfast  the  follow- 
ing morning.  She  had  fallen  profoundly  asleep 
the  previous  evening  as  soon  as  her  head  touched 
the  pillow,  but  after  a  few  hours  she  wakened, 
and  then  the  review  of  the  various  ridiculous 
events  of  the  evening  before  kept  her  mind  busy 
and  her  temper  so  vibrant  that  she  was  glad  to 
spring  out  of  bed  with  the  first  streak  of  dawn. 

A  consuming  desire  possessed  her  to  encounter 
Perth  Edwards.  Perhaps  he  could  explain  mat- 
ters. They  must  have  been  the  odious  planning 
of  that  more  odious  Mr.  Gordon.  She  would 
like  to  break  up  such  an  ill-assorted  friendship. 
Yes,  she  would.  She  would  tell  Perth  Edwards, 
too,  that  he  didn't  act  as  if  he  were  in  his  right 
mind. 

She  stole  out  of  her  room  so  as  not  to  waken 
Miss  Beadle  whose  repose  was  undisturbed  by 
the  gigantic  self-consciousness  besetting  the 
young.  To  find  herself  in  an  awkward  position 
simply  meant  to  Miss  Beadle  never  to  allow  a 
repetition  of  it.  Above  all  minor  considerations 


221 

had  been  the  fact  that  she  had  met  her  friend  of 
twenty  years  ago.  Her  most  delicate  sensibili- 
ties had  been  highly  but  soothingly  stirred.  The 
happy  dream  of  her  youth  hovered  over  her 
spirit,  whispering  her  to  child-like  slumber.  Milli- 
cent  peeped  into  her  room  to  see  if  she  were  still 
asleep.  The  rather  thin,  pale  contour  of  her  face, 
resting  on  the  palm  of  her  well-kept,  jeweled 
hand,  stirred  an  impatient  feeling  in  the  young 
girl  that  anybody  could  sleep  like  that  after  being 
made  an  exhibition  of  as  they  had  been. 

She  sat  down  at  her  table  without  appetite  and 
with  wandering,  discontented  eyes.  Yes,  there 
they  were  together  again. 

She  began  to  wonder  if  she  had  been  making  a 
great  ado  about  nothing  after  all. 

Perth  now  looked  over,  saw  her  sitting  there 
alone,  and  hurriedly  and  radiantly  excusing  him- 
self, came  across  to  her.  Pulling  Miss  Beadle's 
chair  out,  he  sat  down,  delighted  over  this  oppor- 
tunity for  a  tete-a-tete. 

"  We  were  just  talking  about  you  when  I  looked 
up  and  saw  you.  We  were  planning  a  drive — my 
friend  Gordon  and  Alice  and  I — and  we  want 
Miss  Beadle  and  you  to  be  of  our  party." 

"  How  much  of  a  party  do  you  expect  to 
have  ? "  she  asked,  her  lips  curving  while  she 
looked  away. 

"  O,  no  one  else." 


222  Xahewoofc. 

"  No?  I  supposed  Mr.  Gordon  would  want  at 
least  a  stage-load." 

"  He  is  awfully  gregarious,  that's  a  fact.  But 
this  time,  I  am  sure,  he  wishes  to  cut  things  down, 
and  besides  " — he  leaned  forward  confidentially  and 
appealingly — "  Alice  and  I  think  it  a  good  thing 
for  him  to  be  out  of  doors  as  much  as  possible." 

"  Then  the  drive  resolves  itself  into  giving  Mr. 
Gordon  an  airing." 

"  You  are  hard  on  a  fellow.  You  don't  want  to 
dry  up  all  the  springs  of  human  kindness  in  one, 
do  you?" 

"  It  is  well  enough,  Perth,  for  Mr.  Gordon  to 
adore  you.  I  have  no  objections  ;  but  I  don't 
like  to  see  you  act  like  a  spinning-top  whenever 
he  comes  around — as  if  you  hadn't  a  mind  of  your 
own." 

"  O,  I  have  plenty  of  mind  of  that  sort,  but  the 
obligations  of  friendship  are  very  real  to  me. 
Shall  I  tell  Mrs.  Caruthers  that  you'll  go  ?  " 

"  I  can't  promise  till  I  have  seen  Miss  Beadle." 

"  I'll  get  Gordon  to  ask  her.  Then  it  will  be 
all  right.  He  is  so  happy  over  the  discovery  of 
one  of  his  prehistoric  loves." 

"  She  is  splendid." 

"  I  didn't  say  she  wasn't.  You  had  better  go, 
though,  if  only  for  her  sake.  If  Gordon  should 
find  her  still  all  he  thought  her  in  those  bygone 
ages,  perhaps " 


XafcewooO.  223 

She  laughed  heartily.  "  I'll  go,  provided  there 
are  to  be  no  others  except  Mrs.  Caruthers  and  we 
four." 

"  All  right.  I'll  tell  Gordon  and  get  him  to  in- 
tercept your  chaperon  when  she  comes  down." 

"  Aren't  you  afraid  to  finish  your  breakfast 
without  your  chaperon  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit.  Good-bye,  then,  till  this  afternoon 
at  four.  Lucky  the  bank  closes  at  noon  on  Satur- 
days, isn't  it  ?  " 

When  alone  again  an  ethereal  serenity  pervaded 
her  spirits.  She  was  thrilled  on  looking  out  of 
the  window  by  the  sunshine  and  the  blue  sky. 
What  a  fine  day  it  promised  to  be. 

When  Miss  Beadle  came  in  to  breakfast  a  few 
minutes  later,  she  did  not  even  remark  on  Milli- 
cent's  early  rising.  "  And  how  unconscionably 
long  I  have  been  sitting  here,  too !  "  the  young 
girl  said  to  herself.  There  was,  in  fact,  the  faint- 
est shade  of  embarrassment  about  the  elder  lady 
as  she  explained  and  even  accounted  for  her  inter- 
view with  Mr.  Gordon. 

"  I  said  we  would  go,  if  you  were  willing, 
dear." 

"And  I  told  Mr.  Edwards  I  would  go  if  you 
were  willing." 

"  Very  well,  then.  And,  oh,  Mr.  Gordon  ex- 
plained the  rather  awkward  situation  of  last 
night." 


224  Xaftewoofc. 

"  To  your  perfect  satisfaction  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  we  will  let  it  drop.  How  are  you  going 
to  inform  him  of  our  acceptance  ?  " 

"  He  said  he  would  see  me  in  the  office  after 
breakfast." 

"  Would  you  mind,  Miss  Beadle,  if  I  went  over 
to  Mrs.  Caruthers'  table  and  sat  with  her  a  few 
minutes?  She  is  alone." 

"  Go,  by  all  means." 

A  faint  smile  hovered  over  Millicent's  face  as 
she  turned  away.  Just  as  she  had  finished  greet- 
ing Mrs.  Caruthers  and  had  sat  down,  Mrs.  Adina 
paused  to  speak  with  Alice. 

Milliccnt  looked  at  her  half  curiously  and  a  little 
suspiciously.  At  first  the  young  girl  thought  her 
a  Jewess,  but  deciding  otherwise,  received  an 
introduction  respectfully  and  prettily. 

There  was  something  superb  this  morning  in 
Naomi's  dark,  velvety,  soft  eyes,  wearing  always 
an  expression  of  solemn,  haunting  earnestness, 
somewhat  contradicted  by  the  smiling  curves  of  her 
lovely  mouth.  Millicent  noticed  the  fine  white 
embroidered  morning  gown,  relieved  by  bands  of 
pale  mauve,  and  the  absence  of  jewelry  except  an 
oval  amethyst  set  in  pearls  at  her  throat  and  two 
rings  on  her  wedding  finger,  one  a  narrow  band 
of  very  small  but  brilliant  diamonds,  the  other  a 
single  diamond  of  great  clearness  and  beauty. 


Xafcewocto.  225 

"  Naomi,"  said  Alice,  holding  her  hand  linger- 
ingly,  "  you  remember  Mrs.  Candace,  do  you 
not  ?  " 

"  Elizabeth  Hamilton  ?  " 

"  Yes.  She  has  been  on  the  other  side  for  five 
years  and  is  now  a  guest  of  Mrs.  Grace." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  remember  her  perfectly  !  "  replied 
Naomi  in  a  voice  whose  clearly-cut  tones  and  deli- 
cate intonations  affected  Millicent  like  music. 

"  She  is  anxious  to  meet  you.  She  said  that  in 
all  her  travels  she  did  not  see  a  single  Oriental 
face  as  perfect  as  yours." 

Mrs.  Adina  lifted  her  beautiful  chin  in  depreca- 
tion. 

"  She  is  coming  over  to  spend  the  morning  with 
me.  She  will  be  here  at  lunch  also.  Can  you 
join  us  in  my  parlor  at  eleven  ?" 

A  gentle  radiance  overspread  Naomi's  features. 

"  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  do  so.  Thank  you." 
She  pressed  Alice's  hand,  bowed  with  grave  cour- 
tesy to  the  young  girl  and  passed  on. 

"  How  beautiful !  "  said  Millicent,  with  a  little 
gasp. 

"Yes,"  said  Alice,  thoughtfully.  "She  is  as 
exquisite  as  a  poem." 

"  By  the  way,  dear,"  she  continued,  "  you  must 
come  too,  this  morning.  Suppose  you  go  and 
speak  to  Miss  Beadle  about  it.  Invite  her  also." 

Millicent     soon    returned    to    say    that    Miss 


226  Xafcewood. 

Beadle  and  she  would  both  be  there  soon  after 
eleven. 

"  Bring  your  fancy  work,  Miss  Kent.  Mrs. 
Candace  will  have  hers.  The  day  is  cold  enough 
for  an  open  fire.  We  shall  have  a  delightful 
morning  altogether  sitting  around  it.  If  you 
have  any  music  here,  bring  that.  There  is  a 
piano  in  my  parlor." 

"  I'll  come  laden  with  a  sofa  shawl  I  am  knitting 
for  papa  and  twenty  sonatas  each  an  hour  long." 

"A  half  one  will  do,"  said  Alice,  laughing  and 
rising.  "You  and  I  should  be  good  friends,  it 
seems  to  me."  She  walked  across  the  hall  with 
Millicent  and  then  passed  on  to  the  office  where 
she  met  Mr.  Gordon  in  a  state  of  restless  excite- 
ment. 

"  How  large  a  breakfast  do  you  suppose  Miss 
Beadle  is  eating  ? "  he  inquired.  "  One  would 
think  she  was  a  camel  about  to  cross  a  desert." 

"  It  hasn't  been  the  eating  but  the  talking  that 
has  detained  her,"  said  Alice.  "  Your  patience 
won't  be  taxed  much  longer,  for  there  she  is  now." 

When  Miss  Beadle  and  Millicent  went  to  Mrs. 
Caruthers'  parlor  they  found  Mrs.  Candace  and 
Mrs.  Adina  already  there.  A  few  minutes  later 
Mrs.  Darlington  entered  followed  by  Mrs.  Grace. 
As  soon  as  Ethel  heard  Millicent's  name,  she  held 
out  both  hands,  apologizing  for  her  delay  in  calling. 

"  Such  a  charming  duty  as  I  have  neglected  !  " 


XaftcwooD.  227 

Millicent  murmured  something  about  hoping 
the  duty  would  now  be  transformed  into  a 
pleasure  and  the  two  sat  down  on  a  divan  at  one 
side  of  the  fire  while  the  others  grouped  them- 
selves in  a  straggling  semicircle  a  little  away 
from  the  heat. 

Outside  the  sky  was  brilliantly  blue.  The  pines 
made  a  fringe  of  vivid  green  against  the  windows. 
The  wind  had  risen  and  its  howls  and  moans  in- 
creased the  sense  of  inside  comfort  and  warmth. 

Millicent  had  never  before  been  admitted  to 
the  familiar  conversation  and  badinage  of  just 
such  a  company  of  women  and  she  had  a  timid 
desire  to  be  equal  to  the  occasion  which  gave  her 
rather  striking  beauty  a  reticence  vastly  becoming. 
Ethel  quite  fell  in  love  with  her  and  began  to  plan 
a  small  dance  at  which  this  young  girl,  in  spite  of 
her  tiresome  mother,  should  be  the  central  figure. 

And  Miss  Beadle  ? — What  between  the  appear- 
ance of  Dick  Gordon  on  her  midday  horizon  and 
hobnobbing  with  no  less  a  celebrity  than  Mrs. 
Candace  in  Mrs.  Caruthers'  private  parlor,  she 
began  to  feel  in  a  sad  muddle  about  her  duty  to 
Millicent.  If  she  turned  the  cold  shoulder  on 
Mrs.  Caruthers,  the  child  would  lose  valuable 
social  opportunities  of  which  the  chaperon  would 
never  hear  the  end  from  the  disappointed  parents. 
If  Perth  Edwards  should  prove  to  be  the  heir  of 
her  old  lover,  Millicent  could  not  have  a  better 


228  Xahewoofc. 

prospect  matrimonially.  As  to  family  connec- 
tions, she  would  make  a  distinct  advance  in  mar- 
rying Perth.  Her  kindly  heart  had  not  yet 
reached  the  hope  of  reversions  in  her  own  favor, 
and  as  for  imaginative  gloating  over  her  unex- 
pected meeting  with  a  lover  silent  for  many 
years,  this  tendency  the  force  of  circumstances 
had  long  ago  crushed  out  of  a  nature  inclined  to 
facing  probabilities.  She  lived  a  day  at  a  time  at 
her  age  not  through  an  heroic  effort  of  will  but 
through  lack  of  will  to  do  otherwise. 

Alice  was  happy  over  her  success  in  drawing 
the  ladies  together  informally.  She  had  insisted 
upon  each  bringing  a  piece  of  fancy  work.  As 
she  looked  over  the  group  busy  with  the  undue 
industry  of  a  "  show  "  performance,  she  laughed 
and  said,  "  One  would  think  we  were  working  for 
wages.  Suppose  we  relax  sufficiently  to  converse 
a  little.  It  seems  to  me  we  might  settle  several 
important  matters  in  such  a  representative  body." 

"  Give  us  a  text  and  we  will  begin,"  said  Ethel. 
"  My  tongue  is  like  the  clapper  of  a  bell.  It  will 
ring  both  ways,  so  I  can  argue  on  either  side." 

"  There  is  one  thing  I  would  like  to  speak  of 
here,"  said  Mrs.  Darlington,  looking  around  the 
circle,  and  that  is  a  public  lecture  to  be  given  at 
this  hotel  by  Miss  Max.  She  ought  to  be  brought 
out  here.  It  would  give  her  an  excellent  start  in 
her  profession." 


Zahewoofc.  229 

"  Yes,"  added  Ethel,  "  her  lectures  of  our  course 
are  about  over  and  they  are  no  introduction  at 
all." 

"  When  would  you  have  her  give  the  public 
one,  Mrs.  Darlington  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Adina.  "  In 
the  morning  or  evening?" 

"  In  the  morning,  by  all  means.  It  ought  to  be 
arranged,  too,  before  the  season  begins  to  wane. 
We  must  have  a  full  room  and  by  that  I  mean 
the  ball-room." 

"O,"  said  Alice,  as  if  out  of  breath.  "We 
could  never  get  so  many  people  together  in  the 
world  for  a  lecture.  If  it  were  a  dance — now — 

"  But  we  must,"  replied  Mrs.  Darlington.  "  We 
must  use  our  influence.  We  must  either  take  a 
certain  number  of  tickets  and  give  them  to  our 
friends  and  make  them  promise  to  come  or  canvas 
the  hotel  and  induce  people  to  buy  them." 

"  Do  you  suppose  Portia  would  like  that  ? " 
asked  Ethel  in  honest  perplexity. 

"  She  need  never  know.  Give  her  to  understand  it 
is  her  own  popularity.  That  will  encourage  her. 
Portia  needs  a  summer  outing  and  this  will  give 
her  the  means  for  it.  Nothing  can  be  done  with- 
out lobbying,"  concluded  Mrs.  Darlington,  viva- 
ciously. 

"  How  much  ought  the  tickets  to  be?"  asked 
Miss  Beadle  with  some  anxiety.  She  fancied  her- 
self undertaking  the  sale  of  fifty  as  her  share. 


230  lafcewood. 

"  Not  more  than  a  dollar,"  said  Mrs.  Candace. 
"  People  are  willing  to  spend  a  dollar,  but  not  one 
cent  over.  Publishers  say  it  condemns  a  book  to 
try  to  sell  it  for  a  dollar  twenty-five." 

"  We  only  pay  fifty  cents  apiece  for  our  lect- 
ures," exclaimed  Ethel,  "  and  they  are  given  at 
private  houses,  too." 

"  Fifty  cents ! "  replied  Mrs.  Darlington  con- 
temptuously "  Twenty-five  cents  really — for  each 
of  us  invites  a  friend  or  two  who  want  to  hear 
Miss  Max  at  least  once.  However,  the  lectures 
at  private  houses  have  a  social  value." 

"  Portia  can't  afford  at  present  to  have  to  pay 
herself  for  her  social  opportunities,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Caruthers. 

"  She  receives  all  we  agreed  to  pay  her,"  retorted 
Ethel  in  astonishment. 

"  Anything  taken  at  reduced  rates  is  a  gift," 
said  Mrs.  Adina,  in  an  even,  unemotional  tone. 

"  But,  Mrs.  Adina,  our  set  has  been  bringing 
Portia  out.  It  has  been  her  opportunity.  I 
know  lovely  women,  reduced,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing,  who  would  give  lectures  for  nothing  to  get 
started.  I  am  sure  Miss  Max  appreciates  our 
generosity.  "  Don't  you  think  she  does,  Mrs. 
Candace  ?  " 

"  She  has  never  mentioned  her  hearers  as  bene- 
factors to  me.  I  am  confident  she  appreciates 
any  courtesy  they  may  have  shown  her  at  its  full 


OUftewoofc.  231 

value.  Portia  is  one  of  those  women  born  to  over- 
estimate others." 

"  Why  can't  we  ladies  look  at  things  exactly  as 
they  are?"  said  Alice,  with  a  touch  of  impatience. 
"  We  did  not  get  up  this  course  solely  for  Portia's 
benefit.  We  really  wanted  a  set  of  dances  with 
something  literary  to  give  them  character  through 
Lent.  Portia  was  available — and  we  didn't  want 
to  spend  much  money  on  the  lectures,  and  so — 
so  that's  the  way  it  all  happened." 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Darlington,  with  crisp  firm- 
ness, "  I  suppose  that  is  about  the  truth  concern- 
ing the  Roman  Antiquities.  Portia  is  rny  friend — 
one  of  my  very  best  friends,  and  this  time  I 
propose  to  consider  her.  Will  you  agree  to 
be  responsible  for  one  hundred  tickets,  Mrs. 
Candace  ? " 

"Yes." 

"And  you,  Mrs.  Adina?"     . 

"  Two  hundred,"  said  Naomi  softly,  her  dark 
lashes  sweeping  her  cheeks,  while  she  worked  the 
filoselle  in  and  out  of  a  wild  rose. 

"  I'll  take — fifty,"  said  Millicent,  hesitatingly, 
while  wondering  if  she  would  have  to  give  up  the 
bangle  she  had  set  her  heart  on. 

Miss  Beadle  subscribed  for  twenty-five,  with 
the  reflection  only  of  the  keen  pangs  she  had  felt 
years  ago  on  having  always  to  bring  up  the  rear  of 
any  enterprise.  But  she  had  gotten  used  to  being 


232  XafcewooD. 

neither  "  hot  nor  cold  "  with  her  charities,  as  in 
other  affairs,  and  she  named  this  amount  with  as 
much  quiet  ease  as  Mrs.  Candace  had  done  hers. 

"  And  you,  Alice  ?  " 

"A  hundred,  too." 

Mrs.  Darlington  smiled.  "  We  have  made  an 
excellent  beginning ;  my  husband  and  I,  I  am 
sure,  can  do  a  great  deal." 

"Are  you  going  to  sell  the  tickets  to  the  Jews 
and  all  ?  "  asked  Ethel. 

"  We  shall  have  to — here,"  said  Mrs.  Darling- 
ton, "  for  I  mean  to  make  the  proprietors  give  us 
the  use  of  the  ball-room." 

Ethel  laughed. 

"  Well,  it  will  be  dramatic.  Can't  you  fancy, 
Mrs.  Candace,  Portia's  father  rising  from  his  grave, 
if  he  saw  her  before  an  audience,  and  such  a  mixed 
one?  And  her  mother !  making  it  her  boast  that 
she  had  never  put  .her  foot  in  a  street-car.  Dear 
me  !  I've  known  Portia  to  walk  three  miles  since 
she  became  poor,  because  she  hadn't  five  cents  to 
pay  for  the  luxury  of  a  car-ride." 

Mrs.  Caruthers  was  in  a  state  of  restless  appre- 
hension. Mrs.  Darlington  and  Ethel  had  never 
met  Naomi,  and  evidently  they  also,  as  Millicent 
had  done,  took  her  for  a  German.  No  wave  of 
added  color  in  her  olive  cheek,  no  flush  of  vin- 
dictive pride  in  her  soft  black  eyes  betrayed  a 
wounded  race  prejudice.  As  the  conversation 


Xaftewood. 


233 


changed  to  Portia's  antecedents,  Alice  breathed 
more  freely. 

"What  are  those  verses  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  ?  "  Ethel  continued.  "  Don't  look  sur- 
prised, Mrs.  Candace ;  I  haven't  missed  reading 
my  Bible  a  single  day  in  Lent.  I  want  you  to 
appreciate  how  virtuous  I  have  been.  Ah,  I  re- 
member them :  '  Parthians,  and  Medes,  and 
Elamites,  and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,  and 
in  Judea,  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus  and  Asia, 
Phrygia  and  Pamphylia,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  parts 
of  Libya  about  Cyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome, 
Jews  and  proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians.'  There, 
I'm  out  of  breath,"  gasped  Ethel. 

"  And  it  made  me  out  of  breath  to  hear  you 
talk  so  fast,"  said  Elizabeth.  "  You  do  not  mean 
to  say  you  repeated  all  those  names  from  merely 
reading  them  ?  " 

"  I  learned  them  by  heart  when  I  was  ten,  for 
twenty  dollars ;  I  wouldn't  try  it  again  to-day  for 
as  many  thousand." 

"  Think  how  Portia  has  to  cram  her  memory." 

"Oh,  Portia!  she  is  quite  another  person," 
replied  Ethel.  "  But,  coming  back  to  the  Jews,  it 
seems  to  me  an  awful  pity  to  have  to  ask  them." 

"I  haven't  such  a  prejudice  against  the  Jews," 
said  Miss  Beadle  virtuously,  and  as  if  conscious 
she  must  present  a  singular  exception. 

"  I  have  a  keen  sense  of  their  money  value  to 


234  XahewooO. 

us  in  this  case,"  said  Mrs.  Darlington  ,  "  and 
besides,  I  am  one  who  wishes  to  see  fairness 
shown  to  everybody.  This  is  essentially  a  Jewish 
hotel.  It  is  owned  by  Jews,  managed  by  them, 
largely  patronized  by  them,  and  there  are  hun- 
dreds of  Christians  who  were  unwilling  enough  to 
affiliate  with  them  at  the  Laurel  House  who  do 
not  find  them  objectionable  enough  to  stay  away 
from  at  this  house.  Truly,  we  Christians  act  a 
great  deal  of  the  time  as  if  our  comfort  were  our 
sole  consideration." 

"  The  Jews  are  so  phlegmatic,"  said  Millicent, 
with  a  little  excitement  in  her  voice.  She  had  sat 
still  a  long  time  and  was  growing  anxious  to  make 
an  impression. 

Alice's  foot  was  tapping  the  carpet  nervously. 

"  You  never  had  any  occasion,  surely,  child,  to 
come  in  contact  with  them,"  said  Miss  Beadle 
somewhat  repressively. 

"  Not  socially,  of  course,"  replied  Millicent  with 
a  little  air  very  amusing — "  but  at  school.  They 
are  in  all  the  schools." 

"Why  not?"  interrupted  Naomi  so  mirthfully, 
and  lifting  for  an  instant  eyes  so  brimful  of  amuse- 
ment, that  Alice  decided  the  conversation  might 
as  well  wear  itself  out. 

"  I  should  think,"  said  Millicent  with  youthful 
asperity,  "  they  would  have  a  school  of  their  own 
— like  the  colored  people," 


iafcewoofc.  235 

"  What  do  you  think,  Mrs.  Candace  ? "  asked 
Mrs.  Darlington,  fixing  an  earnest,  bright  gaze  on 
that  lady's  face. 

Elizabeth  folded  a  handkerchief  on  which  she 
was  sewing  a  border  of  lace,  stuck  her  needle  into 
it,  wrapped  her  thimble  inside,  and  put  them  all  in 
a  bag  lying  in  her  lap. 

By  this  time  the  room  was  very  still  and  each 
was  anxiously  awaiting  what  she  had  to  say. 

Even  Naomi  had  dropped  her  work  and  was 
gazing  at  Mrs.  Candace  with  a  serious  intensity, 
but  in  which  there  was  as  yet  nothing  personal. 

Elizabeth  glanced  around  the  circle  at  each  one, 
including  Naomi. 

"  I  think  many  things  I  hardly  know  how  to  put 
into  words.  There  are  the  statistics,  for  instance. 
The  Jews  have  no  paupers  in  our  poorhouses." 

"  But  think  of  the  Russian  Jews  !  "  exclaimed 
Ethel. 

"  I  am  speaking  of  American  Jews  especially," 
said  Mrs.  Candace  quickly.  "  The  whole  ques- 
tion of  Russia  is  apart  from  modern  civiliza- 
tion. The  Jews  are  freer,  I  understand,  from 
malignant  diseases  growing  out  of  scrofulous  con- 
ditions than  any  other  race." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Candace,  it  isn't  such  facts  we  want 
at  all,"  said  Mrs.  Darlington.  "  It  is  the  Jews  as 
a  social  force  we  wish  to  consider." 

"  How  can  one  consider  social  values  apart  from 


236  Xafcewoofc. 

other  values?"  inquired  Elizabeth,  "  except  indeed 
in  a  society  which  has  become  utterly  corrupt." 

"  But  do  you  like  them  ?  "  inquired  Ethel. 

"  Some  of  them  I  do  and  some  I  don't,"  she 
replied,  smiling.  "  I  find  them  very  unimaginative 
and  often,  in  consequence,  tiresome  ;  but  then  on 
the  other  hand  they  are  so  appreciative  of  the 
highest  intellectual  culture." 

"  How  can  they  appreciate  the  highest  mental 
culture  without  imagination?"  asked  Naomi,  but 
in  a  beguiling  voice,  and  Elizabeth  understood 
Mrs.  Adina  really  wished  her  to  continue. 

"  Strictly  speaking  they  cannot.  However,  the 
Jews  have  remarkable  receptivity  for  knowledge. 
Their  powers  of  acquisition  are  great  and  their 
memories  retentive.  Considering  their  develop- 
ment in  these  respects,  I  have  often  been  struck 
with  the  absence  of  the  imaginative  element  in 
their  conversation.  They  are  without  that  light 
play  of  fancy  which  makes  conversation  sprightly 
and  varied." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Millicent,  eagerly.  "  The 
girls  I  knew  at  school  were  perfectly  omnivorous. 
They  crammed  facts,  dates  —  mathematics,  of 
course  !  "  contemptuously.  "  That  was  the  money 
expression  of  their  brains.  They  memorized  by 
the  yard,  but  they  had  no  original  ideas.  I  never 
knew  a  single  original  Jewess." 

"  How  about  Spinoza,  Herschel,  Heine,  Rachel, 


Xaftewoofc.  237 

Isaiah,  Daniel,  Ricardo,  Gambetta,  Disraeli  and 
Mendelssohn?"  asked  Naomi. 

"  The  exceptions  prove  the  rule,"  said  the  girl, 
flippantly. 

"  Go  on,  Mrs.  Candace,"  said  Ethel. 

"  They  are  a  very  charitable  people.  There  are 
the  Rothschilds,  the  Montefiores." 

"  I  have  been  told  the  Government  records  of 
the  '  Civil  War '  show  many  signal  instances  of 
their  lavish  patriotism,"  said  Naomi.  There  was 
now  the  suspicion  of  tremulousness  in  her  voice. 

"  They  are  such  a  domestic  people,"  continued 
Elizabeth. 

"  So  tyrannical  to  their  women,"  said  Ethel. 
"  Why,  I  went  once  to  a  synagogue  in  Nineteenth 
Street — the  Portuguese  Synagogue  they  called  it, 
and  downstairs  sat  the  lords  of  creation  with  high 
hats  on,  magnificent  scarfs  over  their  shoulders — 
quite  oriental  they  looked.  But  the  poor  wives 
and  daughters  were  cooped  up  in  a  hot  gallery 
behind  curtains.  Such  a  steaming  day  as  it  was 
too.  Those  men  downstairs  looked  like  reguln^ 
Turks,  as  if  they  would  enjoy  shutting  their  wives 
up,  in  a  harem.  And  then  Jews  eat  onions  and 
wont  touch  ham  !  " 

"  I  thought,  Ethel,  you  had  travelled  sufficiently 
to  allow  for  differences  of  taste  among  races.  Such 
differences  need  not  make  an  insurmountable 
social  barrier." 


238  Xafcewoofc. 

"  They  are  so  fond  of  display,"  said  Miss 
Beadle,  wearily. 

"  I  suppose  we  all  feel  they  place  an  undue  value 
on  material  things,"  continued  Elizabeth,  musing- 
ly. "  But  we  should  keep  in  mind  that  they  are 
an  Eastern  people.  They  are  too  acquisitive  and 
this  trait  sometimes  leads  to  greed  and  avarice. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  whole  fabric  of  American 
society,  since  the  Civil  War,  rests  on  a  money 
basis.  Our  marriages,  our  colleges,  our  churches, 
our  politics  seem  to  stand  upon  a  heap  of  money. 
Unlike  the  Jews,  we  profess  to  disregard  money. 
We  talk  about  old  families  but  marry  into  new  ones 
if  they  only  have  money  enough  and  ask  no  ques- 
tions about  scrofula,  criminals,  or  brains.  But  we 
are  ahead  of  the  Jew  in  our  finesse,  for  however 
greedy  we  are  for  money  we  talk  about  it  perhaps 
a  little  less.  But  we  make  money  the  solid  back- 
ground on  which  to  project  our  social  qualities. 
Haven't  you  something  more  to  say,  Naomi?" 
continued  Elizabeth,  turning  gently  to  Mrs.  Adina. 

"  Very  little.  I  do  not  find  the  prejudice 
against  Jews  unreasonable,"  she  said,  looking 
around  the  circle.  A  faint  pink  gave  her  fine 
olive  skin  a  radiance  that  communicated  itself  to 
her  melancholy,  lustrous  eyes.  A  ray  of  sunlight 
struck  her  head,  and  the  waving,  parted  hair  shone 
like  a  raven's  wing.  "  The  Jews  are  aristocrats. 
They  are  willing  to  mingle  with  other  peoples  in 


lafeewooD.  239 

all  conceivable  ways  but  the  only  one  by  which 
national  differences  have  been  settled,  race  dis- 
tinctions obliterated,  families  founded  and  for- 
tunes cemented.  No  consideration  will  ever 
tempt  a  true  Jew  to  marry  one  of  another  race. 
If  he  does,  his  blood  has  received  a  stain  that  never 
can  be  wiped  out.  There  are  a  few  Jews  liberal 
enough  to  forget  this  intense  race  pride  in  ordi- 
nary social  relations,  and  there  are  a  few  Chris- 
tians who  will  allow  the  Jew  what  they  would 
doubtless  call  the  liberty  of  race  prejudice  and 
meet  him  on  the  plane  of  his  own  choosing — but 
altogether  these  exceptions  are  few." 

"  Yours  is  an  exceedingly  squelching  way  of 
putting  things,  Mrs.  Adina,"  said  Ethel,  laughing. 
"Your  German  thoroughness  I  presume  has  led 
you  to  solve  the  question  in  this  manner.  Let 
us  drop  the  Hebrews  and  talk  about  the  Germans. 
Now  there  is  a  people  to  claim  my  admiration," 
she  said  condescendingly  and  smiling  to  Naomi 
whose  beauty  seemed  to  transfix  even  her  vola- 
tile attention. 

At  this  moment  a  boy  came  in  with  a  tele- 
gram for  Mrs.  Darlington  and  the  conversation 
drifted  to  the  ball  to  take  place  the  following 
evening. 

After  the  others  were  gone,  Mrs.  Darlington, 
Ethel,  and  Mrs.  Candace  lingered  behind. 

"Alice,"    said  Ethel,  as  Mrs.  Adina  withdrew 


240  Xaftewoofc. 

and  as  if  a  suspicion  were  taking  form — "  What  is 
she — a  Bohemian  or  German?  " 

"  She  is  a  Jewess." 

"  O !  Think  of  all  we  said.  What  a  dreadful 
pity  such  a  splendid  creature  as  she  is  should  be — 
that !  She  hasn't  any  of  the  usual  peculiarities. 
Her  nose  is  beautiful.  As  for  her  mouth  and  chin 
— if  I  were  a  man  they  would  drive  me  distracted." 

"  She  doesn't  consider  herself  an  object  of 
pity,"  said  Alice. 

"  I  thought  they  were  all  a  little  ashamed  of 
their  race — the  younger  generation." 

"  Not  a  Jewess  like  Mrs.  Adina." 

"  There  are  lots  of  them  at  this  hotel,  aren't 
there  ?  " 

"Why  not?  The  hotel  belongs  to  a  Jew,  it  is 
managed  by  them.  Don't  you  suppose  the 
Hebrews  feel  annoyed  because  there  are  so  many 
— Gentiles  here?" 

"  No,  indeed.  They  want  our  money.  They 
will  do  anything  for  money." 

"  Why  do  you  say  that  ?  " 

"  It  is  what  everybody  says  and  what  the  world 
thinks  is  generally  pretty  true." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  as  often  find  it  false." 

"  Those  who  do  not  care  for  our  money  want 
our  society.  They  certainly  want  something. 
They  wouldn't  be  Jews  if  they  didn't.  I  should 
think  they  would  keep  to  themselves.  There  is 


XaftcwooO.  241 

plenty  of  room  without  clashing  for  people  of  all 
tastes  in  this  country." 

Alice  looked  gravely  and  wonderingly  at  her 
as  she  went  on  more  and  more  glibly.  She  liked 
her  extremely.  There  was  such  effervescent  life 
in  her  very  expression.  She  was  full  of  that 
effective  beauty  which  accompanies  a  clear  com- 
plexion and  laughing,  glowing  eyes.  But,  oh, 
the  prejudices,  the  restless  egotism  which  always 
means  an  overweening  self-importance  ! 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Alice,  gently,  as  if 
thinking  to  herself,  "  that  any  one  has  an  unques- 
tioned right  to  seek  acquaintances  or  friends 
wherever  they  promise  to  be  congenial.  It  is  a 
compliment  to  me  if  a  person  wishes  to  know  me, 
whether  I  feel  like  reciprocating  or  not.  I  do  not 
see  why  Christians  should  get  angry  over  the  mere 
fact  that  Hebrews  consider  them  desirable  society. 

"  But  they  haven't  anything  in  common,  dear 
Mrs.  Caruthers." 

"  I  am  sorry  I  invited  Mrs.  Adina  since  you 
feel  so  strongly  on  the  subject." 

"  O,  I  wouldn't  strain  a  point  as  far  as  that.  I 
would  indeed  like  to  sit  where  I  could  look  at  her 
an  hour  without  stirring.  She  is  finer  than  a  pic- 
ture. But,  it  is  too  bad  she  is  a  Jewess.  Come, 
Mrs.  Candace,  we  must  go,  if  we  take  that  long 
drive.  Good-bye,  Mrs.  Caruthers,  I  have  had  a 

perfectly  lovely  time." 
16 


242  XahewooO. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  day  for  the  great  ball  dawned  crisp  and 
clear.  The  tickets  had  been  taken  up  in  the 
most  unexpected  quarters.  Many  of  the  ladies 
at  the  Lakewood  had  ordered  new  gowns  for  the 
occasion.  It  was  the  gala  event  of  the  season. 

Ethel  was  in  a  feverish  state  of  expectation,  for 
her  anticipation  of  dancing,  the  crowds,  and  meet- 
ing numerous  friends  from  New  York  was  inten- 
sified by  the  fact  that  she  had  been  more  con- 
spicuous than  any  other  lady  except  Mrs.  Dar- 
lington in  the  sale  of  tickets.  She  had  scored  her 
largest  success  with  Mrs.  Lorrieve,  and  both 
women,  born  financiers,  instinctively  looking  upon 
this  fact  as  a  bargain  rather  than  a  tribute  to  the 
"  Day  Nursery  "  had  mutually  reaped  the  benefit. 
Mrs.  Lorrieve  having  extracted  from  Mrs.  Grace 
a  condescending  invitation  to  call,  early  grasped 
the  opportunity  so  hardly  won. 

To  Ethel's  consternation  the  Lorrieve  carriage 
swung  about  the  curve  in  front  of  her  house 
while  her  drawing-room  was  full  of  visitors.  A 
minute  or  two  later  the  butler  announced  :  "  Mrs. 
Lorrieve ;  Miss  Lorrieve." 


laftewoofc.  243 

Mrs.  Grace  rose  languidly  and  inquiringly  from 
a  sofa  at  one  side  of  the  fireplace.  Mrs.  Caru- 
thers  held  the  cup  of  tea  she  had  been  sipping 
with  an  arrested  air  as  Mrs.  Lorrieve  filling  the 
opening  between  the  portieres,  paused  an  instant 
before  making  what  had  the  effect  of  an  assault. 

"  Delighted  to  find  ye  at  home,  Mrs.  Grace. 
Mi  darter!  She  was  so  anxious  to  meet  ye.  I've 
ben  talkin'  to  her  about  the  '  Day  Nursery.' ' 

The  unctuous  implication  in  her  bold  black 
eyes  was  irresistible  to  Ethel,  who,  seeing  a  vision 
of  more  money,  now  held  out  a  limp  hand  to  Miss 
Lorrieve  but  so  high  that  the  poor  young  woman 
reached  after  it  as  if  it  were  forbidden  fruit. 

Ethel  maliciously  enjoyed  her  discomfiture. 

The  mother  and  daughter  now  sank  into  the 
nearest  chairs — Mrs.  Lorrieve  beside  Mrs.  Candace 
whose  perception  of  the  situation  made  her  mis- 
chievously determine  to  distinguish  the  General 
to  whom  Mr.  Grace  had  prophesied  his  wife  would 
capitulate.  Miss  Lorrieve  meanwhile  kept  draw- 
ing in  her  breath  spasmodically,  expecting  each 
instant  to  be  able  to  insert  a  remark  in  the  even 
flow  of  Ethel's  interminable  description  of  a  dog 
show. 

Alice  glanced  towards  her  once  or  twice  good- 
naturedly,  sorry  for  her  embarrassment ;  but  her 
timid  yet  courageous  glance  was  fixed  on  her 
hostess  as  if  every  hope  in  heaven  or  earth  de- 


244  Xafeewoofc. 

pended  on  obtaining  that  obdurate  lady's  favor. 

"  And  so  you  are  stopping  at  my  hotel,  Mrs. 
Lorrieve  ?  " 

"  Yes'm.  I'd  tried  everythin'  else — even  bard- 
in'-houses.  We  tuk  the  best  rooms  of  course  ; 
but  bardin'-houses  are  no  place  fer  young  people. 
Mi  darter  has  company  ivery  Sunday  " — this  mys- 
teriously ; — "  and  thin'  we  put  up  at  two  of  the 
small  hotels  in  turn — but" — with  emphasis — "  if 
ye  want  to  see  the  warld  ye  must  go  where  the 
warld  is.  It'll  niver  come  to  you.  Now  isn't 
that  so  ?  " 

Elizabeth  replied  that  it  had  invariably  been 
her  experience. 

"  It  was  by  bein*  at  the  '  Laurel-in-the-Pines '  I 
met  Mrs.  Grace.  How  benivolent  she  is.  She's 
ben  more  cliver  than  I  think  I'd  a  ben  in  raisin' 
money  for  the  '  Day  Nursery  ' — and  so  grateful 
for  a  small  donation ! "  Here  she  raised  her 
voice  perceptibly.  "  You'd  a  thought  I'd  sub- 
scribed five  thousand  instead  of  a  paltry  five  hun- 
dred." 

By  this  time  her  resonant,  flexible,  Irish  intona- 
tions were  dominating  all  the  other  voices.  Ethel 
saw  herself  losing  ground.  Her  shrill  American 
treble  was  slowly  sinking  in  the  ocean  of  tone 
flowing  from  Mrs.  Lorrieve's  vast  chest.  "  And 
when  she  urged  a  closer  acquaintance,  I  said  to 
mi  darter  we  must  embrace  the  opportunity  at 


XahewooD. 


245 


once.  I  felt  acquainted  in  away  with  her  too  fer 
Mr.  Grace  once  dined  with  us.  I  remimber  very 
well  his  pleasure  over  the  terrapin.  It  was  the 
first  of  the  season.  I  had  told  mi  cook  we  must 
have  it  no  matter  what  the  expinse.  And  I  was 
that  delighted  when  Mr.  Grace  had  the  third 
helpin' !  " 

There  was  now  a  perceptible  smile  on  several 
faces. 

"  He's  a  fine,  healthy  lookin'  young  man,  is  Mr. 
Grace." 

"  Have  you  been  long  at  Lakewood,  Mrs.  Lor- 
rieve  ? "  interrupted  Ethel,  sharply,  trying  to 
turn  the  conversation. 

"  Not  very  long ;  but  we  expect  to  stay  through 
the  sayson.  Mi  darter  is  young." 

All  now  looked  at  Miss  Lorrieve,  who  bore  the 
stare  with  considerable  native  ease,  while  con- 
scious that  her  twenty-nine  years  did  not  endorse 
her  mother's  statement  very  sympathetically. 

"  And  I  want  her  to  go  to  all  the  various  din- 
ners and  dances  she's  invited  to.  She's  in  great 
demand,  and  I  was  tellin'  a  frind  this  marning 
that  we  must  have  at  laste  a  week's  notice  if  she 
expected  to  secure  us  for  her  occasion — or  rayther 
I  should  say  function.  And  how  are  the  sub- 
scriptions coming  on,  Mrs.  Grace  ?  I  presume  ye 
are  all  interested  as  well  as  Mrs.  Grace  and  me  ?  " 

She  swept  the  little  circle  with  her  gaze. 


246  XahewooD. 

They  nodded  or  murmured,  "  Yes."  They  had 
not  been  so  entertained  for  a  long  time. 

"You  remimber,  Mrs.  Grace,  that  if  the  sum  is 
not  big  enough  after  the  ball  to  call  and  let  me 
know.  Me  or  mi  darter  will  help.  As  each  of 
us  carries  her  own  purse,  we're  of  aqual  import- 
ance. I'm  anticipatin'  meetin'  your  husband  at 
the  ball  again,  and  I've  ben  tellin'  mi  darter  how 
he  looks  like  a  raal  dancer  and  that  I  hope  she'll 
be  fortunate  in  havin'  a  turn  with  him.  Mr. 
Sims  has  an  aisy  swing  and  step — he's  Daisy's 
young  man — and  I  want  to  introduce  you  to  him, 
Mrs.  Grace.  You'd  find  him  a  good  partner  in  a 
waltz.  I'm  sure  I  can  say  the  same  for  you  too." 

A  flaming  spot  burned  in  Ethel's  cheeks. 
Her  eyes  were  steely  and  had  grown  very  light. 
She  had  a  withering  sense  of  what  the  worship 
of  mammon  was  costing  her. 

Mrs.  Lorrieve  now  sat  back  in  her  arm-chair, 
complacently  fanning  herself,  her  eyes  fixed  on  a 
large  Sevres  vase  and  contracting  with  an  estimate 
of  its  value.  She  had  made  herself  felt  and  was 
satisfied. 

Miss  Lorrieve  became  the  centre  of  polite  ques- 
tions. Her  manner  of  talking,  if  not  effective,  was 
correct.  Two  or  three  of  the  callers,  each  with 
her  pet  charity,  concluding  that  the  daughter  was 
not  so  bad,  decided  to  pursue  the  acquaintance. 

Altogether,  therefore,  the  mother  had  scored  a 


XaftewooO.  247 

great  success  and  at  length  rose,  her  previous  as- 
sumption of  importance  appearing  now  to  envelop 
her  like  a  becoming  mantle.  It  was  with  a  perfectly 
cool  grasp  of  the  situation  that  she  in  some  way 
managed  to  seize  both  of  Ethel's  hands,  hold  them 
for  a  brief  instant  and  mention  Tuesday  as  her  day. 

When  "he  was  gone  and  the  little  group  of  those 
remaining  gathered  closer,  it  was  to  congratulate 
Mrs.  Grace  on  having  discovered  a  new  specimen. 

"  Don't  mention  her,"  said  Ethel,  in  disgust 
"  It  was  her  five  hundred  dollars.  She  bought  me 
with  her  money, — yes,  she  did." 

"  The  rest  of  us  may  find  her  equally  useful. 
One  can  forgive  such  creatures  if  they  will  spend 
freely?"  said  Mrs.  Upham,  indifferently.  "We 
are  awfully  short  of  funds  for  the  Silk  Weavers' 
Literary  Union.  I  shall  certainly  call  on  her." 

"  If  she  had  left  Mr.  Grace  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. One  would  think  he  was  being  fatted  for 
the  market.  Fancy  him  dancing  with — '  mi  dar- 
ter.'" 

"  Oh,  let  him,  let  him,"  cried  a  young  married 
woman.  "  Suppose  we  agree  to  make  Miss  Lor- 
rieve  a  belle  to-night.  Let  us  each  ask  our  hus- 
bands and  brothers  to  put  their  names  on  her  card." 

This  idea  so  amused  Mrs.  Grace  that,  her  vex- 
ation gradually  vanishing,  she  finally  entered 
heartily  into  the  plan. 

Meanwhile,  the  shadows  began  to  gather  and 


248  XahewooD. 

the  little  party  suddenly  broke  up  to  hurry  home 
for  dinner  and  an  early  evening  nap. 

A  few  hours  later,  the  ladies  brought  together 
in  such  a  sharp  focus  at  the  Grace  house  were  scat- 
tered over  the  ball-room,  and  each  one,  at  least 
when  in  repose,  wearing  the  general  air  of  good- 
breeding  and  self-poise  which  Paris  gowns  and  an 
auspicious  occasion  will  lend  to  even  an  ordinary 
personality. 

From  the  opposite  side  of  the  large  hall,  Mrs. 
Lorrieve,  talking  with  General  Tompkinson,  pre- 
sented an  appearance  of  regal  elegance  and  savoir 
faire  as  disproportionate  to  her  absolute  identity 
as  photographic  interiors  are  to  the  simplicity 
they  convert  into  sumptuousness.  In  a  photo- 
graph a  landscape  by  Corot  or  Inniss  has  its  equal 
in  effect  in  a  chromo  or  wood-cut.  An  ingrain 
carpet  in  proper  lights  will  take  the  softness  of  an 
antique  Tebriz  rug.  In  a  ball-room,  the  domed 
forehead  of  a  Shakespeare,  as  seen  through  a  lorgn- 
ette, is  often  less  effective  than  a  retreating,  nar- 
row forehead  given  breadth  and  beauty  by  the 
curling  tongs  and  arrangement  of  a  brainless  hair- 
dresser. Morning  for  reality,  evening  for  illusions. 
The  spectrum  analysis  for  the  separation  of  a  single 
ray  of  white  light  into  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow  ; 
evening  for  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow  to  adorn 
women  without  an  atom  of  the  harmonic  unity  of 
character  symbolized  by  the  white  ray. 


XafcewooD. 


249 


Mrs.  Lorrievewas  a  vast  conglomeration  of  as- 
sorted ideas,  and  of  these  she  tried  now  one  set 
and  then  another  on  whomsoever  she  came  in 
contact. 

"  Tell  me,  Gineral,  who  that  lady  is,  talking  with 
a  small,  dark  man  jist  opposite." 

"  Miss  Beadle,  daughter  of  the  late  Colonel 
Beadle,  who  fell  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness." 

"  Ah  !  "  The  clue  was  not  yet  leading  enough. 
"  She  has  a  fine  air,  but  I  think  I've  niver  heard 
her  name  in  society." 

"  I  dare  say  not.  She  is  the  down  bucket  at 
present.  Ever  met  the  lean  little  wiggler  she  is 
talking  to  ?  " 

"  No.     Should  I  know  him,  d'you  think  ?  " 

"  He  has  come  from  the  West  lately.  He  is  up 
in  the  bucket." 

"  They  seem  much  taken  with  each  other." 
Her  shrewd  eyes  contracted. 

"  They  say  he  was  an  old  lover  of  hers." 

"  Perhaps  they'll  marry." 

"  Perhaps  there  is  not  enough  love." 

"  Oh,  love  with  such  an  owld  thing  as  she  is! 
It's  a  precarus  foundation  anyway,  Gineral.  If 
he'll  hev  her,  she'd  better  take  him." 

The  General  tilted  back  and  forth  on  his  feet  a 
couple  of  times,  looked  at  Mrs.  Lorrieve  briefly, 
and  saying, 

"  Miss  Beadle  is  the  kind   of  woman  to   accept 


250  XaftewooO. 

or  refuse,  not  to  be  taken,"  he  excused  himself, 
leaving  her  to  ponder  on  what  he  could  possibly 
mean,  but  turning  the  queer  phrase  over  in  her 
mind  as  one  presumably  good  to  use  in  the  future. 
With  all  her  shrewdness  of  perception  and  observ- 
ation she  did  not  have  the  ability  to  convey  ideas 
in  words.  She  had  a  tremendous  power,  however, 
of  converting  the  fruits  of  her  observations  and 
perceptions  into  acts,  which  is  the  primary  dis- 
tinction, after  all,  between  the  idealist  and  realist. 

Meanwhile  Miss  Lorrieve  was  waltzing  with  Mr. 
Grace,  the  first  one  of  the  men  who  had  agreed 
together  to  give  her  a  good  time. 

She  was  exceedingly  light  of  foot.  She  had  been 
carefully  taught  by  the  best  saltatory  masters  in 
New  York  and  Boston.  As  Ethel's  full-chested 
and  short-breathed  husband  glided  through  a 
difficult  step  with  the  young  woman,  his  hand 
lightly  pressing  the  supple  muscles  of  her  slender 
back,  his  feet  catching  a  strange  rhythm  from 
hers  and  his  eyes  a  contagion  from  hers  of  a  queer 
pleasure  as  of  wings  and  freedom,  he  made  the 
discovery  that  she  was  a  rare  dancer,  and  as  soon 
as  they  were  through,  his  name  went  down  on 
her  card  for  another  waltz  later. 

She  was  a  woman  with  whom  a  man  was  bound 
to  dance  well  if  he  danced  at  all.  As  Grace  com- 
municated this  news  to  Perth  Edwards,  the  latter 
soon  appeased  his  curiosity  and  with  the  same 


Xafcewoofc. 


2S1 


favorable  results  to  the  young  lady.  Soon  her 
card  was  filled,  and  Mrs.  Lorrieve  suddenly 
realized  that  this  daughter's  social  career  was 
to  be  achieved  through  her  feet. 

She  wondered  that  she  had  never  discovered 
such  an  easy  solution  before,  but  the  truth  was, 
that  pair  of  feet,  plebeian  born,  but  shaped  like 
those  of  Terpsichore  had  had  their  first  really 
useful  opportunity.  They  had  been  tried  and 
not  found  wanting  by  a  connoisseur. 

The  girl  took  on  a  vivid  newness  of  life  while 
dancing.  There  was  a  pulsation  of  color  through 
her  rich,  dark  skin,  a  fervid  glow  of  intense  phy- 
sical vitality  in  her  dark  eyes  that  transformed  her 
into  a  splendid  looking  creature.  With  health 
and  years  she  might  develop  on  her  mother's  lines 
but  with  a  measure  of  refinement. 

Theodore  said  to  Ethel  later  in  the  evening: 
"  The  place  for  that  young  woman  is  out  of  doors. 
On  a  drag,  in  a  dashing  costume,  she  would  pass 
for  a  great  beauty." 

During  this  conversation  between  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Grace,  Mrs.  Caruthers  stood  not  far  away  talking 
with  Mrs.  Adina. 

The  floor  was  now  full  of  dancers,  but  thus  far 
Naomi  had  been  content  to  look  on. 

Alice  had  made  up  her  mind  to  seize  the  occa- 
sion for  displaying  her  friendship. 

A  malicious  person  might  have  said  the  two 


252 

ladies  deliberately  chose  to  stand  there  together 
as  a  mutual  offset. 

Naomi  had  lived  in  many  countries  and  under 
the  best  conditions.  Her  features  while  typically 
racial  were  not  offensively  or  prominently  so,  and 
they  were  imbued  with  much  refinement  and  varia- 
bility of  expression.  Their  predominating  charac- 
teristic was  one  of  blended  dignity  and  gen- 
tleness. She  could  easily  have  been  mistaken  for 
a  Southerner  who  in  manner  and  appearance  was 
piquant  because  of  a  foreign  education. 

Her  dress  of  pale  yellow  silk,  whose  full  train 
was  softened  with  a  wide  flounce  of  black  lace  of 
the  finest  web  and  pattern,  fitted  her  superb 
figure  perfectly.  A  single  band  of  large  diamonds 
clasped  her  throat  like  a  collar.  An  immense 
bertha  of  black  lace  fell  voluminously  over  her 
shoulders,  meeting  her  long,  cream-colored  gloves. 
Her  fan  of  yellow  ostrich  feathers  set  in  jew- 
elled ivory  sticks  completed  a  costume  at  once 
striking  and  simple. 

Alice  enjoyed  her  as  she  would  a  figure  paint- 
ing by  Sargent.  She  was  not  championing  Naomi 
through  any  valiant  protest  against  prejudice. 
She  believed,  as  her  friend  did,  that  the  Hebrew 
question  was  virtually  one  of  caste,  perpetuated 
by  the  Jews  through  their  refusal  to  marry  out- 
side their  race,  and  that  it  could  not  be  answered 
by  their  Christianization  but  by  their  extinction 


XaftewooD.  253 

through  marriage  into  other  nationalities.  She 
simply  loved  and  admired  Naomi.  Some  strong 
affinity  was  their  reason  for  being  together. 

While  they  stood  there,  Perth  brought  Millicent, 
radiant  and  slightly  panting  from  a  dance,  to  sit 
by  his  cousin  for  a  few  minutes.  Like  any  man 
in  the  presence  of  uncommon  and  rarely  delicate 
beauty  he  expanded  in  conversation  with  Naomi, 
and  almost  before  he  was  aware,  but  with  a  youth- 
ful, eager  impulse  at  once  flattering  and  respect- 
ful, he  asked  her  to  take  the  floor  with  him. 

Alice  felt  a  peculiar  satisfaction  in  watching 
the  notice  they  excited.  Naomi's  motions  were 
those  of  an  embodied  dream.  Alice  kept  time  by 
swaying  her  fan  in  a  rhythmical,  undulatory  way. 
She  could  not  take  her  eyes  from  the  satin  glow 
of  those  rounded  shoulders,  the  curving  sweep  of 
Naomi's  lashes  or  the  sheen  of  the  yellow  gown 
until  the  dancers  were  lost  in  the  crowds  on  the 
further  side  of  the  room.  Then  she  turned  to 
Millicent,  her  lips  partly  open,  a  half  smile  playing 
over  her  features  as  if  she  were  under  the  witchery 
of  music. 

Millicent  was  sitting  painfully  upright  like  some 
youthful  Spartan.  She  was  exceedingly  pale. 
Her  dark  eyes  were  set  in  an  expression  of  hard 
scorn,  pitiful  and  unbecoming.  She  was  incensed 
almost  beyond  self-control  that  Perth  should  dare 
dance  with  Mrs.  Adina.  All  her  small,  severe 


254 


Xafcewoofc. 


prejudices, the  depth  and  bitterness  of  which  with 
the  very  young  are  surpassed  only  by  those  of 
the  aged  and  which  her  education  and  the  rather 
narrow,  sordid  views  of  her  parents  had  fostered, 
all  her  paltry,  vain  ambitions  to  be  identified  with 
an  exclusive  circle  had  received  a  blow.  She  felt 
as  humiliated  as  if  she  had  found  herself,  against 
her  will,  in  a  compromising  position, — to  such  an 
extent  already  had  she  unconsciously  appropriated 
Perth.  Her  anger  discovered  her  to  herself. 
How  she  loved  him.  How  she  had  given  her 
heart  to  him,  without  a  single  reservation. 

As  Alice  perceived  Millicent's  indignation,  she 
saw  a  capacity  for  temper  which  made  her  less 
sanguine  for  her  cousin  than  she  had  been.  But, 
as  Perth  came  in  sight  again,  with  Mrs.  Adina  on 
his  arm  this  time,  a  momentary  expression  so 
childlike  and  hurt  and  loving  came  into  the  girl's 
face  by  one  of  those  sudden  revulsions  of  feeling 
women  understand  so  well  in  one  another,  that 
Alice  could  have  taken  her  in  her  arms,  kissed  her 
and  coaxed  away  her  foolish  nonsense,  making 
her  generous  and  receptive  for  her  lover  when  he 
returned. 

Instead  of  finding  her  rested  and  ready  to 
dance  again,  Perth  felt  her  cold  and  passive. 
To  conceal  her  displeasure  from  Mrs.  Adina,  he 
was  about  to  propose  a  walk  when  the  tension 
was  relieved  by  the  ubiquitous  Gordon  with  Miss 


Xahewoofc. 


25S 


Beadle,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grace  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Darlington  also  converging  in  their  direction. 

At  this  moment,  Naomi's  eyes  expanded  with 
that  delightsome  expression  so  becoming  to  a 
beautiful  woman's  face — the  glad  submission  of 
love.  Millicent,  observing  it,  watched  the  man 
making  his  way  through  the  crowd  to  the  Jewess. 

He  was  of  more  than  ordinary  height  and  as 
he  stepped  into  the  open  space  near  the  wall, 
a  military  erectness  in  his  carriage  rendered  him 
conspicuous.  His  face  had  the  intense  refine- 
ment often  indicative  of  scholarship,  and  this 
was  increased  by  gold-rimmed  spectacles  which 
curiously  served  to  intensify  the  depth  and  ex- 
pression of  his  dark  gray  eyes. 

Mr.  Darlington  spoke  to  his  wife.  She  glanced 
with  quickening  interest  at  the  tall,  dark,  distin- 
guished looking  stranger  taking  his  place  beside 
Naomi  with  a  manner  at  once  respectful  and  pro- 
tecting. They  stood  regarding  the  new  sets  that 
were  forming,  her  great  yellow  ostrich  fan  wav- 
ing placidly  to  and  fro.  She  was  evidently  a  very 
happy  woman. 

Mr.  Darlington  now  went  forward,  and  an 
animated  conversation  began  between  the  two 
men.  Millicent  turned  to  Mrs.  Darlington — 
"  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  He  is  the  American  representative  of  the  great 
Jewish  banking-house  at  Frankfort.  He  is  also 


256  Xafeewoofc. 

one  of  the  finest  Hebraists  in  the  world.  For- 
eigners who  know  him  say  his  learning  is  immense. 
Isn't  it  delightful  to  see  the  relation  between  man 
and  wife  evidently  existing  between  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Adina?" 

A  big,  involuntary  sigh  stole  from  Millicent's 
swelling  heart.  She  caught  her  breath  as  Mr. 
Darlington  turned  and  glanced  at  her,  perhaps 
through  a  suggestion  Naomi  had  made.  Before 
she  was  aware,  Mr.  Adina  was  being  presented  to 
her  and  acknowledging  the  introduction  with  that 
exquisite  homage  and  dignity  combined  which  as 
yet  appears  to  be  the  exclusive  cult  of  the  Con- 
tinental gentleman. 

She  found  her  prejudices  if  not  suppressed, 
repressed.  There  was  something  dominating  in 
those  fine,  strong,  highly  intelligent  gray  eyes. 
When  Mr.  Adina  asked  her  to  dance,  a  few  minutes 
later,  to  her  own  profound  surprise  she  at  once 
consented. 

They  were  on  the  floor  but  a  few  minutes.  The 
young  girl  found  her  partner  the  kind  of  man  who 
while  dancing  perfectly  does  so  impersonally.  He 
brought  her  back  presently  to  Miss  Beadle,  bowed 
like  a  king,  and  then  joined  his  wife  who,  taking 
his  arm,  bade  those  near  her  good-night. 

When  Naomi  and  her  husband  were  in  their 
own  apartments  they  stood  a  few  minutes  before 
the  fire.  The  tall,  reticent  looking  man  put  his 


Xahewoofc.  257 

arm  around  the  lovely  woman  beside  him. — "  This 
is  better,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Infinitely."  She  looked  up,  sighing  a  long 
breath  of  deep  content. 

"  That  was  an  interesting  young  man  I  saw  you 
dancing  with,  Naomi." 

"  He  is  a  very  courteous,  manly  fellow.  He 
loves  Miss  Kent." 

"  Then  that  is  why  you  asked  me  to  dance  with 
her." 

She  laughed  a  little,  satisfied,  happy  kind  of  a 
murmur. 

"  I  felt  you  could  reconcile  her  to  me." 

"  Oh,  my  v/ife,  I  did  not  think  you  would  ever 
feel  that  sort  of  thing  worth  while  again." 

"  It  was  for  the  young  man's  sake.  I  saw  she 
might  make  him  unhappy  to-night." 

Her  husband  looked  at  her  oddly  for  a  second. 

"  You  are  always  better  and  purer  than  I  seem 
able  to  give  you  credit  for  being." 

Meanwhile,  Miss  Lorrieve  was  adding  the 
stamp  and  seal  to  her  successes  of  the  evening  by 
having  no  less  a  person  than  Dr.  Brighteck  for  a 
partner.  This  attention  fixed  her  place  irrevo- 
cably in  Lakewood  society,  for  the  doctor,  with 
all  his  simplicity  and  directness,  had  a  method  of 
appraising  social  values  which  made  his  verdict 
or  attention  fascinating  and  valuable.  He  had 
found  Miss  Lorrieve  a  little  vulgar  in  manner, 


258  Xafcewoofc. 

but  she  had  a  downright  naivete"  of  intention  and 
speech  that  were  incorruptible. 

When  the  mother  and  daughter  were  driving 
to  their  hotel  an  hour  later,  triumphant  and 
elated,  Mrs.  Lorrieve  laid  her  broad,  solidly- 
ringed  hand  in  her  daughter's  lap  and  said : 

"  We  must  take  a  swate  of  rooms  and  give  a  big 
dinner.  You  are  in  the  swim  at  last,  Daisy. 
And  now  ye're  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  keep 
there.  And,  Daisy" — she  leaned  over;  her  dull, 
black  eyes  gleamed  with  shrewdness ;  "  write 
and  tell  Sims  it  won't  be  convanient  to  see  him 
for  a  couple  of  weeks.  He  has  a  big  fortune — 
but  so  has  others  and  more  besides." 

Daisy  gave  her  mother  a  glance  of  dumb  appeal 
from  this  unlooked-for  change  of  base  in  regard 
to  her  "cump'ny,"  but  she  said  nothing. 

Perth  and  Millicent,  again  reconciled  after 
another  wordless  difference,  danced  all  thought 
of  any  one  but  themselves  out  of  mind.  They 
were  delightfully  aware  that  Miss  Beadle  had 
swamped  her  misgivings,  her  intentions  and 
her  compunctions  in  Mr.  Gordon.  They  were 
giddily  happy  in  escaping  their  respective  chap- 
erons. They  were  intoxicated  with  the  last, 
swift,  delicious  toboggan-slide  of  passion  end- 
ing in  the  wreck  of  parental  hopes,  vaulting  per- 
sonal pride  and  cool  nineteenth-century  calcu- 
lation. 


Zaftewoofc.  259 

"  Don't  you  want  to  get  away  from  the  crowd 
and  heat,  Millicent?" 

"Yes,  I'm  suffocating."  She  fluttered  her 
lace  fan  vigorously.  Her  cheeks  were  vivid,  her 
eyes  sparkling  and  languid. 

He  lead  her  out  to  the  wide,  cool  corridors 
where  a  hundred  other  young  hearts  were  keep- 
ing happy  time  to  the  gay  music  of  the  band. 
He  felt  as  confident  and  victorious  as  the  Ger- 
man Emperor.  No  need  now  for  any  more  of 
Gordon's  strange  tactics.  Besides,  the  story  of 
threatened  imbecility  was  in  danger  of  falling 
to  pieces  at  any  moment.  Gordon  was  meet- 
ing too  many  friends.  He  was  too  rich.  There 
was  a  facile  activity  of  mind  that  must  bring 
home  the  truth  to  even  so  unsophisticated  a 
being  in  nervous  troubles  as  the  healthy  young 
girl  at  his  side. 

Up  and  down,  up  and  down  the  long  corridor 
they  walked — no  sense  of  fatigue  in  their  feet,  no 
thought  of  the  future  to  disturb  their  present 
ecstasy — all  the  people  they  knew  conveniently 
out  of  sight,  and  each  beholding  in  the  other 
charms  till  this  particular  night  unthought  of. 

"  Perhaps  there  will  be  fewer  people  in  the 
rotunda,"  Perth  half  whispered. 

"  It  will  surely  be  cooler  there,"  Millicent 
replied  with  a  happy,  blushing  smile. 

And  so  they  went  to  the  rotunda. 


260  ILafeewooO. 

It  looked  big  and  airy.  Palms  and  ferns  and 
rubber  trees  were  grouped  here  and  there  in  pro- 
fusion. The  Japanese  lanterns  with  their  softened 
lights  were  a  delightful  change  from  the  brilliant 
glare  of  the  ball-room  and  the  corridors.  There 
was  a  band  of  four  stringed  pieces  behind  a 
stand  of  vines  and  flowering  shrubbery,  playing 
dreamy,  delicious  music. 

He  led  the  way  in  and  out  among  the  plants 
and  a  little  apart  from  the  open  space  left  for  the 
promenade. 

His  light  shoes  and  Millicent's  slippers  made 
no  noise. 

They  found  a  bamboo  settee  near  the  immense 
glass  enclosure  of  the  place.  It  was  in  an  angle 
made  by  quantities  of  ferns  banked  together. 

Outside  the  sand  stretched  as  white  as  deal 
under  the  intense  moonlight.  Against  its  glow 
was  heaped  the  dark  shadows  of  the  pines. 
Troops  of  feathery  clouds  in  fantastic  shapes 
sailed  rapidly  over  the  high  blue  sky. 

Millicent  turned  a  glance  of  mute  and  raptur- 
ous delight  on  her  lover  as  she  sank  down  on  the 
settee,  leaving  one  hand  resting  in  the  abandon- 
ment of  her  enjoyment  on  the  seat.  Perth  sat 
down  and  took  this  tempting  hand ;  her  fingers 
closed  around  his  in  a  fleeting,  convulsive  pressure 
and  suddenly  relaxed.  Then  he  laid  his  other 
hand  also  over  hers,  holding  it  tight  and  unresisting. 


XahewooD,  261 

They  did  not  speak.  They  were  too  happy. 
They  had  crossed  their  Rubicon. 

All  at  once  the  stillness  was  broken  by  a  con- 
strained "  Ahem  "  on  the  other  side  of  their  bower. 

Perth  thought  he  detected  something  strangely 
familiar  in  this  rudimentary  sound. 

Millicent  rose  on  tiptoes  and  noiselessly  parted 
the  ferns.  She  turned  back,  her  hand  on  her  lips. 
Then  crouching  close  to  Perth  she  whispered  in 
his  ear,  "  Our  chaperons !  " 

"  Does  this  night  remind  you — ahem  !  of  any- 
thing, Miss  Beadle  ?  " 

There  was  a  long,  long  silence. 

"  What  does  it  remind  you  of  ? "  came  at 
length  in  tones  so  timid  and  faltering  that  Milli- 
cent felt  she  was  looking  into  unknown  depths  in 
the  staid  and  self-contained  Miss  Beadle. 

"  It  reminds  me  of  twenty  years  ago  when  we 
stood  looking  over  a  prairie  at  sunset  and  I  failed 
to  ask  you  a — a  question." 

"  Why  didn't  you  ask  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know — lack  of  courage,  I  suppose." 

"  I  thought — I  thought  it  was  fault  in  me — or 
perhaps  that  you  did  not  quite  know  your  own 
mind." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  knew  my  mind." 

There  was  another  very  long  pause. 

"  Deborah !  "  with  a  touch  of  impatience, 
"  won't  you  help  me  out  a  little  ?  Your  voice 


262  lafeewooD. 

is  so  impassive  I  can't  tell  yet  whether  there  is 
any  hope  for  me." 

"  I — I've  been  waiting  twenty  years,  Dick." 

"  Angels  and  ministers  of  grace  defend  us ! 
Oh,  not  from  you,  Deborah.  Do  you,  do  you 
really  care  a  little  for  a  lean,  ugly,  nervous 
wretch  like  me  ?  " 

"  Oh — ah !  "  gasped  Millicent,  clasping  her 
hands  and  staring  rapturously  at  Perth — and 
then  she  whispered  in  his  ear — so  close  that 
it  was  almost  a  kiss — "  They  are  actually  get- 
ting engaged.  Let  us  go  away." 

"  I  won't  stir  till  I  know,"  whispered  Perth 
back  with  determination. 

"  I  have  cared,  Dick — twenty-five  years." 

"  There's  good  faith  and  love  for  you,  Missie," 
said  Perth,  leaning  over  close  to  Millicent  who 
pretended  to  draw  away.  "  Would  you  wait  for 
me  twenty-five  years  ?  " 

She  looked  at  him  one  brief  second. 

He  took  her  hands. 

"  Would  you  ?  "  he  whispered  vehemently. 

"  Fifty !  "  A  proud,  defiant,  loving  smile 
hovered  about  her  lips. 

He  made  a  movement  to  kiss  her. 

She  raised  her  hand.    "  'St !  They  are  going  on." 

"  I  have  been  an  old  fool,  Deborah,  a  consum- 
mate old  fool.  I  have  done  nothing  all  these 
years  but  heap  up  riches — and  dyspepsia." 


ZafcewooJ).  263 

"  I  thought  it  was  softening  of  the  brain," 
murmured  Millicent. 

"  Threatened  with  it  only,"  corrected  Perth, 
promptly. 

"  But  we  will  take  the  riches  and  surround  the 
years  that  are  left  with  comforts." 

"  And  we  love  each  other." 

"  Yes,  yes ;  that's  the  main  thing." 

"  And  I'll  nurse  you  so  carefully  that  you  will 
soon  be  well." 

"  We  will  go,  darling.  It  isn't  interesting  any 
longer.  I  want  my  turn  at  making  love."  Perth 
seized  Millicent's  two  hands,  drew  her  to  her  feet, 
took  her  in  his  arms,  kissed  her  eyes,  her  mouth, 
her  cheeks — held  her  off  for  a  long,  fond  look, 
drew  her  to  him  again,  and  might  have  continued 
indefinitely  enjoying  his  turn  if  the  ominous  creak- 
ing of  seats  on  the  other  side  of  the  ferns  had 
not  made  the  younger  lovers  hurry  precipitately 
away. 


264  Xahewoofc. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THERE  was  an  icy  chill  in  the  air  the  day  after 
the  ball.  Towards  night  a  long  straight  bank  of 
bluish-gray  cloud  settled  in  the  west.  A  broken 
uneasy  wind  swayed  the  pines.  The  moon  rose 
at  the  full,  and  by  nine  o'clock  floated  in  gigantic 
circles  of  weird  luminosity  so  tenuous  that  the 
stars  shone  through  it.  Fires  inside  or  the  heav- 
iest wraps  for  out-of-doors  could  not  ward  off  the 
biting  wintriness. 

Ethel  had  sat  hovering  all  the  afternoon  over  a 
soft  coal  fire  in  her  room.  She  was  in  an  uneasy, 
nervous  condition.  She  wished  she  had  not  stayed 
out  so  late  the  night  before.  She  put  her  rings 
on  and  off.  Her  blue  satin  quilted  gown  wadded 
with  down  did  not  keep  the  chills  from  creeping 
over  her.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  feverish  excite- 
ment. 

Not  a  soul  had  called  on  her  all  day  long.  She 
had  a  vague  notion  of  asking  Portia  to  visit  her, 
but  no,  she  couldn't  do  that,  for  Portia  hadn't 
clothes  enough  to  meet  the  kind  of  people  whose 
opinion  she  valued  ;  and  women  not  thoroughly 


XaftewooD.  265 

well-dressed,  no  matter  how  good  or  clever  they 
were,  bored  Theodore. 

Why  did  her  husband  have  to  go  up  to  the  city 
on  this  of  all  days  to  stay  over  night  ?  He  had 
told  her  the  chairs  in  the  dining-room  did  not 
please  him  and  he  must  either  have  others  made 
or  discover  some  colonial  relics  at  Cypher's  or 
Herter's. 

A  maid  brought  in  her  dinner. 

She  ordered  the  table  set  in  front  of  the  fire. 
She  watched  the  cloth  laid  and  the  soup  placed 
before  her.  She  tasted  the  broth. 

"  Take  it  away.     It  isn't  good." 

"  Francis  thought  you  would  find  it  deleecious, 
ma'am,"  said  Ann,  propitiatingly. 

"  Take  it  away.  Put  the  rest  of  my  dinner  on 
the  table  and  then  leave  me  alone." 

It  was  a  very  pretty,  appetizing  meal.  There 
were  two  small  chops  smothered  in  peas.  There 
was  a  delicate  salad  and  a  plate  of  early  asparagus. 
A  half  pint  bottle  of  champagne  was  at  one  side 
and  a  pot  of  aromatic  tea  on  the  other.  There 
was  an  exquisite  cut-glass  plate  of  sliced  Florida 
oranges  temptingly  in  sight.  Butter  as  golden  as 
dandelions,  dinner  rolls  on  a  pink  china  plate 
peeping  out  from  a  small  fringed  napkin,  were 
conveniently  at  hand. 

She  leaned  back  in  her  arm-chair  when  she  was 
alone  and  looked  on  the  array  discontentedly. 


266  Xahewoofc. 

After  a  while  she  nibbled  a  salad  leaf  and  ate  the 
oranges.  But  things  tasted  insipid.  She  drank 
the  tea  with  a  grimace  as  if  it  were  medicine. 

Rex  sat  beside  her  contemplating  the  scene 
like  a  philosopher.  His  cinnamon-colored  eyes 
were  a  little  hungry,  but  he  was  a  well-bred  dog, 
thoroughly  accustomed  to  repressing  his  appetites. 
He  had  himself  under  perfect  control. 

Taking  one  of  the  chops  fastidiously  between 
her  thumb  and  forefinger  she  held  it  out.  He  put 
his  head  on  one  side,  lifted  the  pink  sides  of  his 
huge  upper  lip,  and  biting  off  the  tender  meat,  left 
as  neat  a  bone  in  his  mistress'  hand  as  if  he  had 
been  a  human  being ;  then  he  waited  with  grave 
dignity  for  a  second  course  of  the  same  kind. 
Afterwards,  Ethel  thickly  buttered  a  roll,  feed- 
ing it  mouthful  by  mouthful  to  the  beautiful 
creature  until  it  was  quite  gone. 

Elevating  his  head  slightly  and  seeing  there 
was  nothing  left  on  the  table  he  cared  for,  Rex 
stretched  himself  soberly  on  a  polar  bearskin  rug 
before  the  fire  and  went  to  sleep. 

His  mistress  rang  to  have  the  dinner  removed. 

The  night  came  on  very  gradually.  The  moon- 
light grew  brilliant.  The  room  was  flooded  with  it. 

A  strange,  solemn  haunting  sense  of  inadequacy 
stole  over  Ethel.  The  high  restlessness  she  had 
felt  changed  to  a  drowsy  languor. 

Towards  midnight  she  dragged  herself  heavily 


Xahewood.  267 

to  the  window.  She  was  surprised  to  find  the  sky 
overcast,  but  the  moonlight  still  shone  through 
the  thin  layer  of  cloud,  making  everything  dimly 
visible. 

After  going  to  bed,  she  fell  at  once  into  a  heavy 
sleep.  She  was  oppressed  all  night  with  distress- 
ing dreams. 

When  she  awoke,  it  was  broad  daylight.  Ann 
and  Draper  were  bending  over  her  with  serious 
faces. 

"  Is  it  very  late  ? "  she  gasped.  She  put 
her  hand  to  her  breast.  There  was  a  tight, 
uncomfortable  feeling  there ;  it  hurt  her  to 
speak. 

"  It  is  nine  o'clock,  ma'am  ;  I'll  bring  your 
coffee  and  rolls  right  away." 

She  shook  her  head.  "  I  can't  eat.  Send  for 
Dr.  Brighteck." 

The  little  doctor  came  in  a  very  few  minutes. 

Ethel  was  now  propped  up  in  bed  ;  her  fair, 
fluffy  hair  lay  in  a  tangle  of  irregular  curls  about 
her  face ;  her  thin  temples  were  streaked  with 
blue  veins,  painfully  visible ;  her  vivid  lips  were 
half-open,  and  each  panting,  short  breath  was 
raspingly  audible. 

"  Where  is  Theodore  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  In  New  York." 

"  Where  shall  I  telephone  ?  " 

She  tried  to  speak,  she  tried  to  cough,  but  the 


268  Xafcewoofc. 

cough  and  the  voice  were  unable  to  make  them- 
selves heard. 

"  Shall  I  send  a  message  to  him  at  your  house?" 

She  shook  her  head.  Finally  by  a  great  effort 
she  ejaculated — "  You  can't  find  him.  He  has — 
gone — to  buy  chairs.  He'll  come — as  soon  as  he 
finds  them." 

"  Don't  try  to  speak.     I  understand." 

He  wrote  out  his  prescriptions,  despatched  one 
of  the  servants  for  the  medicines,  sent  another  for 
two  trained  nurses,  and  in  an  hour  had  transformed 
things  to  conditions  as  favorable  as  possible  for 
the  patient. 

Sitting  beside  her  to  watch  each  developing 
symptom,  his  mind  reverted  to  his  talk  in  the  li- 
brary with  Mrs.  Candace,  and  although  it  was  not 
dishes  Mr.  Grace  was  buying  this  time  it  was  again 
something  new  for  the  house.  The  heaped-up 
luxury  of  Ethel's  room  made  Dr.  Brighteck  tired. 
He  went  about  it  on  tiptoes,  expecting  to  break 
an  ornament  at  each  turn. 

Towards  noon  she  fell  into  a  stupor,  occasionally 
broken  by  a  mild  delirium  during  which  she 
talked.  The  physician  discovered  a  vein  of 
thought  he  had  not  given  her  credit  for. 

"  I  get  so  sick  of  it  all — the  dinners  with  so 
much  food — and  the  chatter,  chatter,  chatter.  Oh, 
my  head  !  Why  do  women  scream  so  when  they 
•talk — Mrs.  Candace  and  Portia  don't  scream." 


XaftewooD.  269 

She  opened  her  eyes  suddenly. 

"  Has  Theodore  come  ?  " 

"Not  yet." 

She  slept  again — talking  brokenly.  "  Tell 
Portia  not  to  wear  them.  Some  beautiful  new 
ones.  A  dozen  pairs,  two  dozen  pairs — all  she 
wants."  Her  panting  breath  lifted  the  covering 
quickly  up  and  down. 

Towards  night  Mr.  Grace  arrived.  Just  as  his 
carriage  drove  up  to  the  door,  an  express  wagon 
also  came,  filled  with  furniture. 

"  Where's  my  wife  ?  "  he  asked,  as  the  butler 
opened  the  door. 

Buxton  gravely  said — "  In  her  room,  sir." 

"  Is  she  ill?" 

"  I'm  afraid  she's  very  ill,  sir.  Dr.  Brighteck  has 
been  here  all  day." 

The  pink  faded  from  his  florid  face.  Tearing 
off  his  overcoat,  he  stole  gently  upstairs  as  if 
already  the  calamity  which  he  and  Ethel  had 
obstinately  refused  to  anticipate  had  at  length 
arrived. 

He  turned  the  knob  of  her  door,  noiselessly. 
There  sat  the  doctor.  Elizabeth  was  there  too. 
A  nurse  was  holding  his  wife's  hand. 

His  breath  failed  him.  He  leaned  against  the 
wall.  Was  that  bright  young  life  going  out — 
even  then  ? 

Dr.  Brighteck  came  over  to  him.     "  She  is  here 


270  laftewooo. 

yet.  It  is  all  I  can  say.  But  keep  up  your  cour- 
age. She's  young.  Life  is  on  the  side  of  the 
young." 

Downstairs  the  new  chairs  were  being  huddled 
quickly  out  of  sight.  A  pile  of  rugs  was  thrust 
unopened  into  a  dark  closet.  The  wheels  of  the 
heavy  express  wagon  grated  a  few  seconds  on  the 
gravelled  drive,  then  the  wide,  pervasive  still- 
ness of  the  country  brooded  over  the  level  soli- 
tude of  the  pines  and  the  sullen,  glossy  surface  of 
the  lake.  The  sky  was  a  vast,  opaque,  threatening 
expanse  of  pale  gray.  Now  and  then  a  flake  of 
snow  fluttered  uncertainly  to  the  ground.  The 
air  was  lifeless  with  the  peculiar,  depressing  chill 
preceding  a  great  storm. 

The  evening  shadows  gathered,  the  cold  grow- 
ing more  intense,  the  wind  moaning  through  the 
piazzas  and  gables  and  swaying  the  pines  like 
immense  sable  plumes. 

A  hickory  fire  burned  on  the  hearth.  The  gas 
was  turned  down  and  shielded  by  crimson  silk 
screens.  Rex  lay  on  the  big  skin  rug,  his  nose 
between  his  paws,  his  eyes  watchful  of  every 
movement  in  the  room.  Late  in  the  evening  he 
slept  a  few  minutes,  whining  in  his  sleep.  Theodore 
got  up,  took  him  by  the  collar  and  led  him  out. 

"  Don't  allow  yourself  to  be  superstitious,"  whis- 
pered Dr.  Brighteck.  "  I  have  seen  worse  cases 
of  pneumonia." 


ILaftewoofc.  271 

"  Do  you  think  she  will  live  ?  "  eagerly. 

"  I  can't  tell.  She  has  the  vital  tenacity  of  a 
delicate  constitution." 

"  If  you  will  pull  her  through,  we  will  turn  over 
a  new  leaf." 

"  You  have  said  that  before,  Grace."  The 
words  sounded  cruel,  but  the  tone  and  glance  were 
gravely  tender  and  expostulatory. 

The  husband  sank  into  a  chair  near  the  head 
of  the  bed.  He  sat  bent  over,  his  hands  folded 
across  his  knees. 

Ethel  was  asleep.  The  muscles  of  her  cheeks 
were  drawn.  She  looked  prematurely  old.  There 
was  now  no  color  in  her  face,  and  it  wore  that 
strange  expression  peculiar  to  the  very  ill  of  all  ages, 
when  the  story  of  a  lifetime  of  suffering  and  experi- 
ence seems  engraven  on  the  countenance.  A  deep 
seriousness,  a  pathetic  longing  and  a  kind  of  appeal- 
ing sweetness  lurked  in  the  drooping  corners  of 
her  mouth. 

The  tears  began  to  roll  down  her  husband's 
face.  He  wiped  them  away  occasionally. 

At  midnight,  Elizabeth,  who  had  gone  home  for 
a  while,  returned,  the  doctor  apprehending  a  crisis. 

Ethel  seemed  to  be  approaching  a  state  of  col- 
lapse. Her  breathing  was  quiet.  Her  eyes  were 
sunken. 

Mrs.  Candace  stood  beside  her,  thinking  of  the 
pathos  of  life  and  the  mystery  of  death.  How 


272  Xafcewood. 

strange,  how  impenetrable  the  mystery  surround- 
ing the  advent  of  a  soul  into  human  conditions, 
its  departure  to  that  unknown,  that  debatable 
land  about  which  each  according  to  his  tempera- 
ment formulates  theories,  but  whose  secrets  none 
can  unravel.  Each  one  departs  in  his  turn. 
None  come  back  to  give  those  left  behind  the 
assurance  of  courage,  of  hope,  of  a  transition  to 
experiences  divested  of  the  awfulness  with  which 
the  departure  is  conditioned. 

She  had  her  own  faith,  her  own  belief,  but  the 
part  of  these  abiding  for  help  in  extreme  issues  is 
the  part  growing  out  of  personal  experiences,  and 
it  is  only  faintly  communicable. 

Mr.  Grace  looked  at  her  questioningly,  but 
there  was  nothing  to  be  said  at  such  a  moment. 
She  sat  down  beside  him  and  took  his  hand,  fold- 
ing it  between  her  soft,  cool  palms. 

A  great  sob  rose ;  he  suppressed  it.  He  was 
in  the  inextricable  hold  of  a  crucial  condition. 

Elizabeth  went  to  the  window,  and  parting  the 
heavy  curtains,  looked  out.  Here  and  there  an 
electric  light  shot  waving,  fantastic  gleams,  leav- 
ing velvet  shadows  of  incomparable  blackness 
under  the  trees  and  mingling  in  the  open  spaces 
with  the  strange  gray  light  the  moon  shed 
through  the  clouds. 

The  snow  was  falling.  It  must  have  come 
down  very  thick  and  fast  for  several  hours.  It 


XaftewooD.  273 

lay  in  cushiony  piles  on  the  balcony  railings. 
The  wind  had  dashed  it  in  adhesive  masses  against 
the  boles  of  the  trees.  The  palm-like  limbs  of 
the  hemlocks  had  gathered  it  as  if  in  open  hands. 
The  shrubbery  near  the  house,  the  underbrush  in 
the  woods  close  by,  the  dead  vines  with  their 
shrivelled  leaves,  all  had  gathered  the  white  har- 
vest. Each  twig,  each  tree,  the  chimneys  of  neigh- 
boring houses,  the  very  atmosphere  was  imbued 
with  a  personality  suggesting  to  her  an  intimacy 
with  the  persons  and  events  hidden  away  in 
human  habitations.  How  much  intense  percipi- 
ency,  what  fulness  of  being  perhaps  was  perpet- 
ually masked  in  the  transparent  air.  How  many 
voices  were  sounding  on  every  hand  audible  to 
beast  or  bird  or  insect  in  a  land  as  silent  as  death 
to  the  human  ear.  What  visions  were  open  to 
winged  creatures  of  a  day  that  were  forever  sealed 
to  man. 

All  was  mysterious.  Each  soul  stood  by  itself. 
Hands  could  touch,  lips  could  meet,  there  was 
the  present  comfort  of  human  nearness,  but  there 
was  also  the  perpetual,  haunting  loneliness  of 
depths  of  feeling,  of  fragments  of  thought 
beyond  the  power  of  eye  or  tongue  to  com- 
municate. 

There  was  a  hurried  movement  by  the  bedside. 

She  turned  from  the  window. 

Dr.    Brighteck    sat   holding  Ethel's  wrist,    his 
18 


274  ZahewooO. 

watch  in  his  hand.  A  nurse  stood  beside  him. 
Mrs.  Candace  went  to  the  foot  of  the  bed. 

Ethel  now  lay  with  wide-open  eyes.  Her 
breathing  was  hardly  perceptible.  She  looked 
occasionally  from  one  to  the  other.  Evidently 
she  was  conscious. 

Her  extreme  fairness,  her  blond  hair  touched 
with  a  faint,  sunny  brightness  from  the  gas,  her 
parted  lips,  showing  her  white  teeth,  and  the 
questioning  look  in  her  large  blue  eyes  as  she 
glanced  languidly  from  one  to  another  made  a 
haunting  picture  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  minutes  passed  one  by  one.  After  a  while 
Dr.  Brighteck  laid  her  hand  gently  down  and 
taking  a  glass  from  the  nurse  inserted  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  liquid  between  the  patient's  lips. 

There  was  a  momentary  spasm  in  her  throat, 
then  a  quietness  of  all  the  muscles — then — at  last 
— she  swallowed  the  medicine. 

He  gave  her  another  teaspoonful. 

The  same  failure  to  swallow  followed,  succeeded 
by  the  unknown  rallying  power  of  the  vital  prin- 
ciple. 

The  powerful  stimulus  was  in  her  system. 
Nature  must  do  the  rest. 

Who  can  describe  the  expression  on  the  face 
of  a  faithful  doctor  at  one  of  those  critical  mo- 
ments when  a  life  hangs  in  the  balance.  It  is  so 
inscrutable  in  its  complexity.  It  is  grave  and 


XaftewooD.  275 

matter-of-fact,  tender  and  scientific,  watchful  and 
eager.  It  is  an  expression  which  means  instant 
readiness  for  an  emergency  and  yet  much  more 
— as  if  it  were  indeed  the  summing-up  of  years 
of  experience  to  meet  the  latest  need. 

Gradually  the  veined  eyelids  partially  closed. 
Ethel  drew  a  long,  easy  breath.  Her  whole  body 
relaxed. 

Dr.  Brighteck  drew  a  similar  breath  in  sym- 
pathy. 

Mr.  Grace  looked  at  him  as  if  afraid  to  hear 
what  he  might  have  to  say. 

But  his  countenance  became  less  tense.  An 
expression  positively  happy  suffused  it.  He 
looked  up  finally. 

"There  is  a  favorable  change.  You  would 
better  go  to  bed,"  turning  to  Mr.  Grace  and  Mrs. 
Candace,  "  I  will  stay  till  morning." 


276 


CHAPTER  XX. 

WHEN  Ethel's  condition  was  such  as  to  relieve 
Mrs.  Candace  of  immediate  anxiety,  she  left  her 
hotel  early  one  morning  to  make  Portia  a  call. 
They  had  become  very  friendly. 

There  was  a  quality  of  unfailing  sweetness  of 
temper,  a  dogged  literalness  of  purpose,  and  a 
kind  of  balanced  judgment  about  Portia  that 
made  her  confidence  and  friendship  an  acquisi- 
tion. 

Elizabeth  felt  lonely.  She  was  a  growing  sur- 
prise to  herself  in  this  respect.  Ever  since  her 
husband's  death,  cordial  acquaintances  rather 
than  intimate  friends  had  been  the  society  that 
had  best  pleased  her.  But,  during  Ethel's  illness,  a 
craving  for  some  tie  more  tangible  than  the  pass- 
ing relations  which  a  traveller  or  a  sojourner  in 
hotels  possesses,  seized  her.  A  home  of  her  own, 
some  one  in  it  to  miss  her  when  she  was  away,  to 
welcome  her  when  she  returned,  to  care  for  her  if 
she  were  ill,  to  sit  opposite  her  at  the  table  and 
to  talk  with  evenings  when  the  curtains  were 
drawn,  the  lamps  lighted  and  the  lonesomeness  of 


XahewooO.  277 

the  night  was  beginning — some  such  arrangement 
seemed  desirable. 

There  was  Dr.  Brighteck  waiting  for  her — but 
no  !  To  take  such  an  intimate  love  as  his  to  her 
heart  meant  too  surely  the  absolute  setting  aside 
of  a  past,  the  memory  of  which  was  dear  and  always 
present.  It  meant  the  burial  of  a  love  of  which 
visible  expression  had  long  ago  ceased.  She  did 
not  want  to  be  absorbed  by  another ;  she  wanted 
to  be  companioned. 

As  she  walked  toward  Portia's,  it  was  with  no 
definite  purpose  except  that  of  drawing  Miss  Max 
into  closer  acquaintanceship. 

She  had  never  called  before,  as  they  had  had  other 
frequent  means  of  seeing  each  other,  so  it  was 
with  some  curiosity  that  she  approached  the  pert 
looking  green  cottage  with  its  assertive  tower. 

"  Yes'm — Miss  Max  is  in,"  the  maid  saiddrawl- 
ingly  to  her  inquiry. 

Portia  came  downstairs  without  delay  and  im- 
mensely pleased  with  this  attention.  There  was 
a  responsiveness  about  Mrs.  Candace  like  that  of 
a  thirsty  soil  to  a  refreshing  shower. 

The  boarding-house  parlor  was  full  of  heteroge- 
neous people — Elizabeth's  evident  social  inferiors 
— and  there  was  much  involuntary  posing  and 
constrained  conversation  on  their  part.  Portia 
soon  asked  her  caller  to  finish  the  visit  upstairs. 

Mrs.  Candace  was  out  of  breath  when  she  had 


278  XafcewooD. 

climbed  the  steep,  winding  second  flight.  The 
upper  hall  was  so  narrow  that  its  white  unpapered 
walls  seemed  to  shut  her  in  and  stifle  her.  Some 
of  the  doors  on  either  side  were  open  and  the 
chintz  portieres,  half  drawn,  afforded  glimpses  of 
contracted,  barren  interiors,  making  her  think 
of  her  luxurious  apartments  at  the  hotel  with 
devout  thankfulness. 

Why  were  material  comforts  so  unevenly  dis- 
tributed ?  Who  was  she  that  she  had  been  born 
and  bred  in  luxury,  and  why  was  she  now  mistress, 
while  still  young,  of  riches  sufficient  to  support  in 
comfort  a  half  dozen  families  ? 

She  sat  down  on  the  one  comfortable  chair 
the  room  contained  and  looked  around.  The 
sphynxes  and  pyramids  in  Portia's  circumstances 
appeared  to  her  pathetically  dismal.  There  was  an 
enormous  Japanese  umbrella  suspended  from  the 
ceiling,  intended  for  ornament  but  serving  mere- 
ly to  capture  the  tobacco  smoke  of  previous  occu- 
pants and  to  give  one  a  seasick  feeling  with  its 
perpetual  motion.  The  carpet,  worse  for  wear, 
was  covered  with  brown  fern  leaves ;  it  looked 
somber  and  autumnal.  The  single  bed  with  its 
sleazy  counterpane  and  flabby  pillows,  the  cheap 
oak  furniture,  glaringly  yellow  against  the  white 
walls,  added  to  the  feeling  of  isolation  she  had 
in  being  up  so  high,  aroused  in  Elizabeth  the 
tenderest  sympathy. 


Xahewoofc,  279 

"  Draw  your  chair  nearer  to  mine,  dear,  I  have 
something  to  say  to  you." 

Portia  did  so,  and  Elizabeth  took  her  hand  in  a 
warm,  loving  clasp. 

"  I  want  you  to  do  something  for  me,  I  have 
been  so  lonely  the  past  few  days.  I  think  it  must 
be  a  slight  reaction  now  that  Mrs.  Grace  is  out 
of  danger.  I  want  you  to  come  over  to  the 
'  Laurel-in-the-Pines '  and  spend  a  couple  of  weeks 
with  me.  Don't  say  no,"  as  the  younger  woman 
hesitated,  and  Elizabeth,  having  finally  overruled 
whatever  misgivings  Portia  felt,  it  was  settled 
that  the  visit  should  begin  the  following  after- 
noon. 

Mrs.  Candace  went  away  quite  happy  and 
elated.  A  block  from  the  green  cottage  she  met 
Bryan  Mallory  going  towards  it.  As  it  was  the 
last  house  in  the  row  and  the  street  ended  just 
beyond,  she  divined  his  purpose  at  once. 

"  Are  you  going  to  see  Miss  Max  ?  "  she  asked 
casually. 

He  looked  at  her  with  surprise.  It  had  not  oc- 
curred to  him  that  any  one's  else  head  could  be 
occupied  with  his  idea. 

"  I  am,"  he  replied  ingenuously,  a  slight  con- 
sciousness evident  in  his  manner.  Then  he  asked 
with  some  eagerness:  "  Is  she  at  home?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Elizabeth,  but  thoughtfully. 

He  seemed  suddenly  to  change  his  mind. 


a8o  ZafcewooD. 

"  May  I  walk  with  you  a  bit,  Mrs.  Candace  ?  I 
want  to  talk  with  you.5' 

"  Do,  please,"  she  said. 

They  walked  some  distance  in  silence.  All  at 
once  he  stood  still  and  she  paused,  too,  instinc- 
tively. He  looked  down  at  her  and  in  his  embar- 
rassment took  his  hat  off  and  put  it  on  again. 

"  Mrs.  Candace,"  he  said,  abruptly,  "  I  need  a 
friend — a  woman  friend." 

"  Can  I  be  of  any  service  ?  "  she  inquired  tenta- 
tively, the  calm,  clear  look  in  her  eyes  at  once 
gracious  and  dignified. 

"  I  think  you  can.  I'm — well,  I  may  as  well 
use  the  stereotyped  phrase,  I  suppose,  but  I  don't 
like  it — I'm  in  love  with  Miss  Max." 

"  Yes  ?  "  she  said. 

They  both  laughed  a  little,  but  presently  it  was 
her  turn  to  feel  perplexed,  for  how  tenuous  and 
uncertain  all  her  own  plans  became.  There  was 
seldom  any  choice  when  the  question  was  one  be- 
tween a  man  and  woman,  and  she  herself  fancied 
Bryan  Mallory  well  enough  to  understand  that 
a  girl  like  Portia  might  be  extremely  fascinated 
with  him.  The  generous  side  of  her  nature  as- 
serted itself.  What  was  her  passing  loneliness 
compared  with  an  advantageous  settlement  for 
Portia  ?  At  least  the  girl  should  have  the  full 
benefit  of  this  opportunity  as  far  as  her  assistance 
was  concerned — but  perhaps  Mr.  Mallory  did  not 


SUfcewooD.  281 

wish  to  be  in  love  and  looked  to  her  to  help  him 
extricate  himself.  Men  did  sometimes  expect 
just  such  ridiculous  things  of  women.  How 
many  men  she  had  known  who  wanted  to  be 
saved  from  themselves.  Her  lips  curled  an  in- 
stant with  the  thought.  She  began  to  walk  on. 
Bryan  paced  along  beside  her. 

After  listening  to  their  footsteps  the  length  of 
a  block,  she  looked  up  with  a  smile  inviting  further 
confidence. 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  do,"  he  began,  and  then 
continued  with  an  abrupt  volubility  altogether 
foreign  to  him  : 

"  She  is  in  that  boarding-house  yonder,  and 
although  I  asked  to  call  and  she  said  I  might — if 
I  would  sit  on  the  stairs — I  hardly  feel  like  in- 
truding on  her.  She  doesn't  want  me  to  come 
there  and  I  can  readily  understand  it.  I  took  her 
to  drive — and  made  her  so  unhappy  by  prying 
into  her  affairs  without  intending  to — I'm  ashamed 
to  ask  her  again.  She  had  a  log  in  a  sunny 
place  in  the  woods  where  she  used  to  sit  every 
day  and  I've  dislodged  her  from  that.  You 
perceive  I  have  done  nothing  but  make  blunders 
from  first  to  last,  and  every  day  I  find  myself  car- 
ing for  her  more.  I  have  known  scores  of  women 
—but  that  is  quite  another  thing,  Mrs.  Candace, 
from  meeting  the  first  one  in  my  life  I  have  ever 
cared  for — in  this  way." 


282  XafcewooO. 

"  In  what  way  do  you  mean?" 

"  Why,  don't  you  know  ?  " 

"  No,"  she  said  gently,  but  firmly,  "  I  do  not. 
If  I  am  to  help  you,  I  must  understand  precisely 
your  intentions." 

He  stood  for  a  minute  or  two  with  his  eyes  on 
the  ground.  His  thoughts  were  swinging  back 
and  forth  like  a  shuttle.  All  the  inertia  of  his 
nature  was  aroused.  On  the  other  hand  his  re- 
spect, for  Elizabeth  was  at  this  moment  supreme. 
She  had  constituted  herself  Portia's  protector. 
When  he  did  look  up  to  meet  the  searching  candor 
of  her  gaze,  it  was  with  an  expression  equally 
frank  and  sincere. 

"  Perhaps — before  meeting  you — I  hadn't 
reached  ultimate  intentions.  I  have  now.  I  wish 
to  marry  Miss  Max,  if  she  will  accept  me." 

Like  all  women  of  much  experience,  Mrs.  Can- 
dace  found  herself  profoundly  interested  because 
the  old  story  was  one  of  unsullied  newness  to  this 
young  man.  She  was  serenely  happy  that  her 
invitation  had  proved  so  opportune. 

"  I  can  help  you,  Mr.  Mallory.  I  can  give  you 
the  opportunity  you  seek  of  seeing  Miss  Max 
more  frequently.  I  have  just  invited  her  to  be 
my  guest  for  two  weeks.  She  is  coming  to- 
morrow. My  parlor,  mornings,  afternoons  and 
evenings  is  at  your  disposal.  Regard  me  in  this 
matter  in  the  light  of  an  old  friend." 


Zaftewoofc.  283 

He  held  out  his  hand.  She  took  it.  Then  he 
bade  her  good-morning  and  plunging  into  the 
pines  started  off  on  a  long  tramp. 

Portia  felt  rather  confused  and  excited  after 
Elizabeth  left  her.  Such  a  broad  streak  of  pure 
sunshine  had  not  fallen  across  her  path  in  many  a 
day.  She  was  afraid  such  a  long  continued  pleas- 
ure as  a  two  weeks  visit  with  a  charming  woman 
like  Mrs.  Candace  would  undermine  her  fortitude 
for  returning  to  the  prosaic  conditions  of  her 
ordinary  life.  Her  daily  increasing  desire  to  live 
according  to  the  traditions  and  usages  of  her 
youth  was  threatening,  like  a  leak  in  a  dyke,  to 
make  a  vast  break  in  the  plans  she  had  soberly 
drawn  up  a  year  ago  in  favor  of  social  renunciation. 
She  was  really  seeing  too  much  of  life  at  Lake- 
wood  for  her  own  good. 

She  got  out  her  notes  for  the  last  one  of  the 
parlor  talks.  Her  subject  was,  "The  Vestal 
Virgins." 

She  read  for  an  hour  industriously  on  the  Forum 
palace  they  occupied,  the  exalted  reverence  in 
which  they  were  held,  their  official  dignity,  then 
she  shut  the  book,  because,  after  all,  she  felt  sorry 
for  them.  It  didn't  seem  a  desirable  thing  to 
her  to  be  such  an  illustrious  spinster  as  a  vestal 
virgin.  There  was  a  loneliness  about  going  through 
life  without  near  ties  of  one's  own  positively  un- 
canny. She  didn't  believe  she  could  utter  a  sen- 


284  Xafcewoofc. 

tence  about  those  ancient  virgins  with  a  single  dash 
of  enthusiasm,  and  she  had  learned  by  experience 
that  she  herself  had  to  have  a  superabundant  faith 
in  the  truth  and  merit  of  what  she  was  saying  to 
kindle  it  in  anyone  else  even  for  the  brief  interval 
during  which  she  was  speaking. 

Wouldn't  there  come  a  time  when  she  would 
be  thoroughly  talked  out  ?  She  was  afraid  of  it. 
Well,  she  was  young  still — at  least  she  was  not  old 
— and — it  was  spring  !  After  the  public  lecture 
at  the  "  Lakewood  "  about  which  Mrs.  Darlington 
and  others  were  making  plans,  there  would  be 
months  in  which  to  react  towards  duty. 

She  laid  her  notes  on  the  Vestal  Virgins  away 
very  much  as  if  she  were  consigning  those  august 
Roman  realities  to  the  tomb,  and  putting  on  her 
hat  and  cloak  went  out  for  a  walk,  but  with  the 
final  object  to  call  and  inquire  concerning  Mrs. 
Grace. 

When  she  reached  the  hospitable  looking 
colonial  mansion,  the  butler  was  in  the  doorway. 
He  answered  her  question  about  Ethel's  condition 
by  saying  he  would  ask  Draper  to  come  down. 

She  passed  into  the  drawing-room.  Beyond,  in 
the  library,  she  heard  the  murmur  of  voices,  but 
no  one  was  visible.  She  looked  around  her  sym- 
pathetically, for  the  room,  while  in  order,  lacked 
the  vague  indications  of  habitual  occupancy.  She 
noticed  that  the  dust  had  been  allowed  to  gather 


laftewoofc.  285 

on  the  banjo.  Banjoes  and  zithers  and  mandolins 
seemed  just  like  Ethel.  She  wondered  if  illness 
would  ever  subdue  the  extreme  lightness  and 
vivacity  of  Mrs.  Grace's  disposition.  She  picked 
up  a  rose  leaf  from  the  polished  surface  of  a 
mahogany  table  at  her  elbow.  There  was  a  little 
circle  of  the  fragile  petals  lying  in  undisturbed 
symmetry  where  they  had  fallen.  How  perish- 
able, how  evanescent  was  beauty.  "  The  wind 
passeth  over  it  and  it  is  gone,"  she  said  to  herself. 
Just  then  a  laugh,  the  sound  of  a  kiss,  and  an 
expostulatory  "  Oh,  Perth  ! "  came  from  the 
library,  and  the  next  instant  Millicent  and  her 
lover  stood  between  the  portieres  abashed  at  the 
sudden  discovery  of  Portia  who  was  speechless 
with  confusion  from  having  overheard  them. 

Draper  opportunely  appeared  to  say  that  Mrs. 
Grace  would  be  pleased  to  see  Miss  Max. 

She  felt  a  little  timid  about  visiting  any  one  who 
had  been  so  very  ill. 

She  went  up  the  wide  staircase,  feeling  thought- 
ful and  solemn.  All  at  once  she  remembered 
that  some  one  had  told  her  it  was  necessary  for 
visitors  to  enter  sick-rooms  with  smiling  faces. 

It  seemed  to  her  that  her  countenance  must 
wear  a  horribly  distorted  grin,  as  Draper  opened 
the  door  and  ushered  her  inside. 

The  next  instant  she  forgot  all  about  "  direc- 
tions "  and  "  rules  for  those  in  charge  of  invalids," 


286  Xahewoofc. 

for  a  wave  of  sympathetic  love  surged  into  her 
warm  heart  as  she  beheld  Mrs.  Grace. 

The  bed  stood  out  in  the  room  near  the  fire. 
On  one  side,  much  propped  up,  lay  Ethel.  The 
isolation  of  the  bed  seemed  to  isolate  her.  It 
suggested  a  catafalque,  and  her  ethereal,  shadowy 
appearance  heightened  this  effect. 

Portia  knelt  down  beside  her,  taking  her  hand. 
There  were  no  rings  on  it.  The  little  bones  made 
ridges  in  the  waxy  flesh.  The  long,  handsome 
nails  looked  brittle  and  purple. 

Portia  kissed  the  small,  thin  hand  and  a  tear 
fell  on  it. 

A  brief,  wondering  smile  of  gratification  passed 
over  the  sick  woman's  face.  No  one  but  Theo- 
dore had  shed  a  tear  for  her  through  all  those 
days  of  mortal  suffering.  She  had  had  an  occa- 
sional wistful  regret  that  no  one  beside  her  hus- 
band was  very  sorry.  She  was  discovering  in  un- 
thought-of  ways  how  utterly  selfish  her  life  had 
always  been  and  that  the  greatest  luxuries  of 
feeling  are  something  neither  money  nor  power 
can  buy. 

"  Thank  you  for  that  tear,  Portia." 

She  lay  silent  for  awhile. 

"  All  who  come  in  to  see  me  are  so  extraor- 
dinarily bright.  They  tell  me,  too,  that  I  look 
almost  well.  I  get  Draper  to  give  me  the  hand- 
glass sometimes — and  I  know  how  I  look.  I  have 


Zafeewoofc.  287 

been  very  ill,  Portia.  I  did  almost  die  this  time 
— and  it  has  made  a  difference  with  me.  There, 
take  that  chair  and  turn  around  so  that  you  can 
face  me.  Let  me  hold  your  hand.  I  made 
Draper  read  the  Bible  to  me  a  few  minutes  last 
night.  She  read  about  the  ten  talents.  If  I  have 
any,  it  isn't  more  than  half  a  one — but  I  am  going 
to  use  it,  when  I  get  up,  for  other  people." 

Portia  did  not  say  much  in  reply.  There  was 
little  that  could  be  said.  Ethel  had  been  ram- 
pantly, ostentatiously  selfish  and  indolent  always. 
It  was  the  standard  joke  in  her  conversation. 
She  had  even  warded  off  criticism  by  proclaiming 
her  weaknesses  while  indulging  them  to  the  utmost. 

"  Where  are  you  going  this  summer,  Portia  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  yet." 

"We  shall  start  for  the  Engadine  as  early  as 
it  will  be  prudent  for  me  to  go.  Poor  Theodore  ! 
Have  you  seen  him  ?  He  is  actually  pale.  Al- 
though it  is  becoming,  I  do  not  like  to  see  him  pale. 
He  has  been  so  good.  I  have  been  trying  to  think 
what  I  could  do  to  please  him  when  I  am 
stronger  ;  but,  Portia,  my  thought  just  stagnates 
when  I  try  to  think  of  anybody  but  myself — it  is 
so  new  to  me.  The  pity  of  it  all  is  I  have  never 
been  ashamed  of  it  before.  The  reason  I  asked 
you  where  you  are  going  was  because  if  you 
haven't  made  any  plans  I  wanted  to  know  if  you 
wouldn't  spend  the  summer  with  me  ?  " 


238  XahewooD. 

"  Oh,  Ethel,  I  would  never  suit  you  in  the 
world — never !  "  and  Portia  squeezed  her  hand. 

"  Yes,  you  would.  I  have  always  liked  you 
more  than  you  can  understand.  They  say  I 
talked  about  you  in  my  delirium.  You  need  not 
decide  to-day — not  for  a  month.  But  think  it 
over.  I  do  want  you  to  go  with  me  very,  very 
much." 

Draper  now  came  in  with  a  cup  of  broth,  and 
Portia  went  downstairs  and  out  of  the  house 
without  meeting  any  one. 

Life,  with  its  homely  duties,  aspirations  if  but 
half  fulfilled,  an  earnest  purpose  if  unachieved 
seemed  worth  while.  She  thought  she  might 
have  considerable  enthusiasm  in  her  talk  the 
following  day  on  the  Vestal  Virgins,  after  all. 

When  Elizabeth  reached  her  rooms  she  was  in 
that  delightful  frame  of  mind  which  only  a  thor- 
oughly benevolent  nature  can  understand.  She 
was  studying  ways  and  means  for  temporarily 
obliterating  herself.  She  was  one  of  those  women 
who  cannot  stay  even  in  a  hotel  long  without  sur- 
rounding themselves  with  many  of  the  small 
comforts  and  refinements  of  a  home. 

She  occupied  herself  at  once,  therefore,  in  fit- 
ting up  Portia's  bureau,  table,  mantel  and  chairs 
with  her  own  pretty  belongings.  To  do  so  she 
reduced  her  own  room  to  bare  necessities.  When 
she  led  the  young  girl  the  next  day  to  the  pretty 


XaftewooD.  289 

chamber  in  such  attractive  readiness,  she  was 
repaid  by  the  exclamation  of  delighted  surprise 
springing  to  Portia's  lips. 

"  Oh,  how  sweet  it  all  looks  !  I  haven't  had  a 
room  like  this  since  " — and  she  threw  her  arms 
about  Elizabeth's  neck  and  burst  into  tears. 

"  Flowers,  too — flowers  everywhere  !  "  she  ex- 
claimed, going  eagerly  to  the  window-seat  on 
which  stood  a  tall,  ruby-colored  vase  of  bridesmaids. 
"  Oh,  Mrs.  Candace,  to  think  you  got  these  for 
me  !  "  She  picked  up  the  vase  and  under  it  saw 
Bryan  Mallory's  card.  "  Oh  !  " 

"  I  chanced  to  tell  Mr.  Mallory,  dear,  that  you 
were  coming.  He  left  the  roses  at  my  door  a 
little  while  ago  for  you.  You  see  your  eloquence 
has  captivated  him." 

"  You  make  me  ashamed  of  myself.  He  told 
me  the  other  day  eloquence  was  the  rarest  of  all 
modern  gifts  and  bewailed  the  fact  that  he  had 
not  listened  to  a  single  strain  in  years.  However, 
the  flowers  are  beautiful,  aren't  they."  She  in- 
haled their  fragrance.  Her  eye  sparkled  and  there 
was  a  kind  of  happy  tumultuousness  about  her 
which  Elizabeth  thought  augured  well  for  Bryan. 

"  Have  you  ever  heard  any  of  the  great  public 
lecturers  among  women,  Portia  ?  I  am  going  to 
call  you  Portia.  I  used  to  when  you  were  a  little 
girl." 

"  You  will  be  ever  so  kind  to  do  so.     No,  I 


290 


XaftewooD. 


have  never  heard  one.  I  have  dreaded  hearing 
them  for  fear  I  should  find  my  little  rushlight 
hopelessly  extinguished." 

"  You  would  only  feed  its  flame." 

"  It  certainly  needs  better  illuminating  qual- 
ities." 

"  The  charm  about  those  women,"  continued 
Elizabeth,  "  is  their  naturalness.  When  I  listen 
to  Mrs.  Livermore  or  Mrs.  Lathrop,  I  am  lost  in 
what  they  say  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  I  am 
in  Patti's  vocalization  or  the  religious  harmony 
of  Materma's  voice." 

"  I  notice  by  to-day's  paper  that  Miss  Willard 
and  Lady  Somerset  are  to  speak  in  New  York  to- 
morrow night,"  said  Portia  wistfully. 

"  Are  they  ?  We  will  make  up  a  party  and  go 
to  the  city  to  hear  them.  Dr.  Brighteck  is 
a  great  believer  in  all  this  sort  of  thing — and  I 
am  sure  Mr.  Mallory  will  be,  if  he  isn't.  I'll  write 
a  note  to  them  this  instant.  Here  are  some 
of  the  latest  magazines.  Amuse  yourself  while 
I  am  at  my  desk." 

She  sat  down  at  one  of  the  windows  with  a 
lapful  of  the  periodicals. 

Mrs.  Candace's  rooms  were  only  one  story  up, 
and  were  therefore  near  enough  to  the  ground  for 
Portia  to  distinguish  everything.  She  watched  the 
passers  by  with  a  sheltered  feeling. 

Presently  Mr.  Mallory  came  through  the  pines 


XafcewooD. 


291 


and  across  the  drive.  He  looked  up  when  oppo- 
site her  window. 

His  bow  had  an  excess  of  good  will,  even  of 
gallantry.  A  sudden  throb  of  her  heart  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  tingling  satisfaction,  and  with  it  came 
a  grateful  yet  exultant  feeling  that  she  could  meet 
him  on  his  own  ground. 

She  had  had  several  lovers  in  her  life-time. 
She  was  not  unsophisticated,  but  her  present 
incredulity  as  to  her  attractiveness  in  general  ways 
with  the  conditions  of  her  life  so  altered  amounted 
to  unsophistication.  She  insisted  on  misinter- 
preting to  herself  Bryan's  evident  inclination — he 
was  sympathetic.  He  bore  with  the  lectures  to 
encourage  her.  He  liked  to  talk  to  her  because 
she  was  somewhat  outside  of  the  conventionalities 
hemming  in  most  women.  But  the  flowers  forced 
her  to  absolutely  face  a  possible  relation  which  in 
the  depths  of  her  secret  soul  she  knew  existed. 
Even  Mrs.  Candace's  matter-of-fact  assumption 
that  she  had  merely  to  ask  him  in  order  to  have 
him  accompany  them  held  something  delightful 
suspended  in  the  way  of  an  intimacy  only  wait- 
ing for  a  chance  to  grow. 

"  What  do  you  find  interesting  ?  "  asked  Eliz- 
abeth, looking  up.  "  What,  not  reading  ?  I 
shouldn't  think  you  would  want  to.  You  must 
feel  surfeited  with  books.  There  ! "  sealing  the 
second  letter.  "  If  the  men  are  in  the  hotel,  I 


292  Xafcewoofc. 

dare  say  we  shall  have  answers  in  ten  minutes.  1 
know  they  will  be  delighted  to  go." 

Meanwhile  Bryan  Mallory  on  reaching  his  room 
found  a  letter  postmarked  Utah.  It  proved  to 
be  an  acceptance,  from  a  small  college  in  that  state, 
of  his  entomological  collection,  with  the  promise 
couched  in  ornate  and  grateful  language  to  name 
the  room  they  were  having  fitted  up  to  receive  it, 
"  The  Mallory  Cabinet  of  Eastern  Insects." 

"  Good-bye  to  this  hobby,"  he  said,  radiantly, 
clasping  his  hands  behind  his  back  and  walking 
briskly  up  and  down.  "  I'll  have  them  shipped 
the  very  first  thing.  I'll  take  up  something  tele- 
scopic the  next  time." 

He  went  to  a  case  a  minute  after,  a  smile 
lingering  about  his  mouth,  and  set  aside  the  two 
dried  specimens  of  moss  presumably  containing 
the  microscopic  wonders  which  had  reminded  him 
of  Portia.  He  had  just  seated  himself  at  the  table 
to  see  if  he  could  still  find  them,  when  he  noticed 
another  letter  slipped  under  his  door. 

It  was  Mrs.  Candace's  invitation. 

He  began  to  have  a  realizing  sense  of  her  clev- 
erness and  good  will  as  he  read  it.  He  had  never 
heard  a  woman  speak,  before  listening  to  Portia. 
He  now  accepted  this  new  situation  with  a  passing 
thought  of  how  large  a  man's  tolerance  is  of  any- 
thing that  will  further  his  progress  in  winning  the 
woman  he  has  set  his  heart  on. 


Zafcewoofc.  293 

"  I'll  call  at  her  rooms  and  answer  in  person, 
after  dinner,"  he  said  to  himself. 

He  wondered  if  Elizabeth  would  invent  some 
pretext  for  letting  him  see  Portia  alone.  He  was 
exuberantly  willing  to  take  every  advantage  she 
might  offer,  even  if  she  turned  herself  out  of  doors 
for  him.  He  was  like  the  common  type  of  man 
in  love — aggressively  selfish. 

When  he  called  a  couple  of  hours  later,  the  two 
ladies  had  come  up  from  dinner  and  Bryan  saw 
the  now  familiar  black  dress  with  its  red  spots 
with  a  thrill  of  delight.  Miss  Max  had  tucked  a 
couple  of  his  roses  in  her  bosom. 

He  assured  Mrs.  Candace  that  he  had  been  want- 
ing to  hear  Miss  Willard  and  Lady  Somerset  all 
winter,  but  had  been  prevented  hitherto,  and  that 
nothing  could  possibly  give  him  more  pleasure 
than  to  listen  to  these  now  world-famous  women. 
Privately  he  was  thinking  how  delightful  it  would 
be  to  have  Portia  in  the  seat  with  him  on  the 
journey  to  the  city  and  hoping  the  lecturers  would 
appear  strident  and  radical  so  that  she  would  ex- 
perience a  stultifying  reaction  against  all  such 
functions  either  public  or  private. 

Portia  felt  in  a  singularly  elated  state.  She  had 
finished  the  parlor  course  of  her  talks  that  morn- 
ing. She  had  bidden  good-bye  to  the  tower- 
room  and  the  Japanese  umbrella  in  the  afternoon. 
The  sphynxes  and  pyramids,  emblems  of  her  soli- 


294  Xaftewooo. 

tude  and  gravity,  were  stored  in  the  bottom  of 
her  trunk.  Her  public  lecture  at  the  Lakewood 
was  far  enough  away  at  the  distance  of  ten  days 
to  appear  mythical.  She  was  only  just  beginning 
the  delightful  visit  which  still  seemed  like  a 
dream.  She  had  won  a  new  and  dear  friend  in 
Mrs.  Candace — and — yes — she  was  going  to  see 
more  of  Mr.  Mallory,  the  very  thought  of  whom 
was  dangerously  pleasant. 

She  knew,  the  instant  she  laid  her  hand  in  his 
and  took  one  brief  glance  into  his  eyes,  that  the 
question  had  been  settled  on  his  side,  and  with 
what  amounted  to  a  brief  spasm  of  consternation 
and  rapture  blended,  she  cast  a  glance  into  her 
tumultuous  heart,  but  turned  away  from  what  she 
saw  there,  afraid  to  decipher  it  to  the  uttermost. 

They  all  sat  down  around  the  fire  with  a  fine 
showing  of  general  acquaintanceship. 

Bryan  sedulously  devoted  himself  to  Mrs.  Can- 
dace,  addressing  just  enough  of  his  conversation 
to  Portia  to  neither  permit  her  to  feel  left  out  or 
made  conspicuous.  But,  whenever  his  eyes  sought 
hers,  as  they  did  frequently,  she  felt  the  mustering 
of  all  her  forces  to  withstand  a  surrender. 

When  they  had  been  talking  a  half  hour,  Dr. 
Brighteck  came  in,  but  he  wouldn't  sit  down  ;  he 
merely  welcomed  Portia  as  if  she  were  the  loveliest 
woman  in  the  whole  world,  and  then  turning  to 
Elizabeth,  said : 


ZaftewooO.  295 

"  I  have  just  come  from  Ethel.  She  wants  to 
see  you  desperately.  Don't  you  think  you  could 
step  over  to  her  cottage  with  me?  Miss  Max 
will  take  Mallory  off  your  hands  for  a  little  while. 
Mallory,  you  will  take  care  of  Mrs.  Candace's 
guest  till  we  come  back,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  I'll  take  care  of  her  with  pleasure." 

He  said  this  with  unconscious  unction. 

When  Dr.  Brighteck  and  Elizabeth  went  away 
a  few  minutes  later,  the  color  had  not  faded  from 
Portia's  cheeks,  and  her  eyes  had  a  restless, 
defiant  sparkle  provocative  to  a  man  of  Bryan 
Mallory's  intensity  of  purpose,  now  that  it  had 
been  finally  and  effectually  aroused. 

The  faith  of  women  in  men  they  admire  is  often 
sufficient  to  move  mountains  ;  but  the  principle 
of  exchange,  of  barter,  or  of  equivalents,  has  its 
esthetic  expression  in  most  men  in  their  atti- 
tude towards  women.  Bryan  began  quite  uncon- 
sciously to  prove  anew  to  himself,  by  indirect 
methods  in  his  conversation,  how  very  unusual  a 
woman  Portia  was,  and  how  lucky  he  would  be  to 
win  her.  In  this  way,  by  a  subtle  reflex  play 
upon  his  own  sensibilities,  he  intensified  his  love, 
which  was  in  reality  sincere  and  manly  enough  to 
suit  any  woman. 

There  was  a  quality  at  once  soothing  and  ex- 
hilarating about  his  personality  to  Portia. 

The  color  gradually  faded  from  her  clear  olive 


296  Xafeewoofc, 

skin.  The  rather  tense  lines  of  her  sensitive 
mouth  relaxed.  Her  expression  was  full  of  that 
trust  which,  if  it  be  wholly  the  work  of  nature 
and  not  in  the  least  the  device  of  fine  social  art, 
makes  the  plainest  woman  look  like  a  saint. 

"  There  is  a  damp  east  wind  blowing  steadily 
to-night  and  I  look  for  a  storm  to-morrow.  I 
suppose  Mrs.  Candace  will  want  to  go,  rain  or 
shine?"  he  inquired. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed.  We  wouldn't  miss  the  op- 
portunity even  if  a  blizzard  came." 

"  What  are  these  women  going  to  talk  about  ?  " 
he  asked,  rather  lazily,  and  watchful  of  Portia. 

"  They  are  women  with  missions  ;  that  digni- 
fies anything  they  have  to  say." 

"  Missions  ?" 

"  Yes.  '  W.  C.  T.  U.'s  '  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing." 

"  I  don't  understand." 

She  laughed.  "  You  remind  me  of  how  vexed 
I  once  got  with  a  very  entertaining  man  who  lent 
me  some  stupid  books.  One  was  filled  with 
poems  addressed  to  O.  M.  and  C.  X.,  and  all  the 
other  letters  in  the  alphabet.  Another  was  writ- 
ten by  W.  Q.,  and  the  third  was  signed  D.  I  hate 
to  hear  *  Y.  M.  C.  A.'  for  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association — but  then,  you  know,"  she  sighed  in 
mock  discouragement,  "  this  is  an  age  of  brevi- 
ties. It  has  struck  me  as  so  odd  that  most 


lafeewooD. 


297 


men  correspond  even  with  their  wives  by  tele- 
phone." 

"  What  does  «  W.  C.  T.  U.'  mean  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  really  know  ?  " 

"  I  see  those  letters,  of  course,  constantly,  in 
the  papers,  but  I  also  see  quotations  about  the 
'  P.  L.  S.'  and  '  A.  F.  F.  R.'  As  I  haven't  stock 
in  that  particular  alphabetic  combination,  I  have 
never  had  time  to  find  out  what  it  means  ?  " 

"  If  you  and  I  were  young  enough  to  begin 
our  education  again,  we  would  have  to  give 
a  year  to  abbreviations.  As  it  is,  we  shall  never 
catch  up.  And  so  you  don't  know  what  '  W.  C. 
T.  U.'  means?" 

"  Oh,  about,  of  course,  but,  having  a  scientific 
bent,  I  like  to  be  precise,  even  in  definitions.  I 
know  that  Miss  Willard  and  Lady  Somerset  lec- 
ture on  temperance,  and  so,  by  means  of  hard 
guessing  here  on  the  spot,  I  presume  the  letters 
stand  for  '  World's  Coming  Temperance  Unifica- 
tion.' Am  I  right?" 

She  assured  him  he  was. 

He  was  pleased  she  was  not  desirous  of  rectify- 
ing him.  He  had  a  wholesome  horror  of  wo- 
men who  corrected  the  minutiae  of  conversa- 
tion. Considering  the  Roman  Antiquities,  he 
had  rather  feared  she  might  reveal  a  mania  for  a 
small  type  of  knowledge  along  the  lines  of  the 
dictionary  and  encyclopaedia. 


298  Xafcewoofc. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  we  must  do  to-morrow  after- 
noon. The  doctor  can  drive  Mrs.  Candace  in  his 
brougham  to  the  station,  and  I'll  take  you  up  in 
a  new  trap  I  have  been  having  made — a  small, 
light  affair,  something  like  a  hansom  only  much 
more  so — and  you  can  tell  me  what  you  think  of 
it.  I  don't  believe  any  vehicle  ought  to  pass  till 
it  has  been  judged  by  a  lady." 

She  expressed  her  pleasure  with  a  pretty  alacrity, 
and  went  to  the  window  to  look  out. 

The  electric  lights  made  the  threatening  night 
visible.  They  cast  lurid  gleams  upon  the  lake, 
shining  in  inky  blackness  here  and  there  through 
the  pines.  The  world  looked  sinister  and  evil. 
Storm  and  wind,  darkness  and  cold,  were  like 
powers  of  the  air  seeking  to  invade  the  snugness 
of  their  luxurious  interior. 

She  drew  back,  wrought  upon  by  her  own  fancy. 

Bryan  had  not  been  looking  out  of  the  window. 
He  had  been  watching  her.  The  play  of  feeling 
and  imagination  over  her  expressive  features 
dominated  his  calmer  nature.  He  longed  to  take 
her  in  his  arms  right  there  and  tell  her  that  no 
tempest,  either  of  the  night  or  circumstances,  no 
cruelty  of  care  or  sorrow  should  ever  touch  her 
without  first  assaulting  him. 

She  saw  something  of  his  thought  and  desire 
as  she  turned  suddenly,  and  confusedly  tried  to 
part  the  curtains. 


XaftewooD. 


299 


"  I'll  open  them  for  you,"  he  said,  gently. 

After  that  they  did  not  talk  with  the  same 
lightness  and  ease.  Portia  became  the  listener. 

Gradually  Bryan  exerted  himself,  and  she  dis- 
covered what  a  really  charming  talker  he  could 
be.  He  told  her  odd  stories  about  bridges  and 
light-houses,  he  gave  her  his  own  theories  about 
aeronautic  navigation,  and  every  subject  was  just 
enough  lighted  with  a  play  of  humor  to  stir  her  im- 
agination and  allow  her  to  invest  those  depths  at- 
tributed to  most  quiet  people  with  fascinations 
that  would  have  alarmed  him  could  he  have 
known  what  extravagance  they  were  attaining  in 
her  mind. 

The  evening  was  advancing  and  Mrs.  Candace 
had  not  returned. 

When  another  long,  delicious  silence  fell  upon 
them,  Bryan  regretfully  and  with  more  cunning 
than  he  would  have  given  himself  credit  for  a 
month  ago,  decided  to  leave  in  order  to  impress 
on  Portia  a  last  memory  suggestive  of  his  regard. 

He  got  up  rather  abruptly.  She  felt  powerless 
to  ask  him  to  stay.  She  had  not  even  thanked 
him  for  his  flowers.  So,  as  he  held  out  his  hand 
and  she  took  it,  she  said  :  "  They  were  very  beau- 
tiful, those  roses." 

"  I  noticed  when  I  came  in  you  were  good 
enough  to  wear  a  couple.  Thank  you." 

His  eyes  met  hers  a  second — squarely. 


300  Xahewoofc. 

She  looked  away  instinctively.  In  another  mo- 
ment he  had  gone. 

She  sat  down  before  the  fire  to  enjoy  the  pleas- 
ure of  a  solitude  filled  with  his  personality.  She 
did  not  dare  think  of  him  in  direct  ways.  The 
possibilities  were  so  full  of  overwhelming  sweet- 
ness. Perhaps,  after  all,  this  veiled  tenderness,  a 
confidence  which  seemed  so  warmly  personal — per- 
haps it  was  his  manner  with  any  woman  he  trust- 
ed, and  she  was  sure  that,  at  least,  he  trusted  and 
liked  her. 

She  was  glad,  a  few  minutes  later,  to  have  Mrs. 
Candace's  return  send  her  vagrant  fancies  into 
the  background. 

"  I  did  not  intend  to  stay  so  long,"  she  said, 
apologetically.  "  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  and 
that  Mr.  Mallory  did  not  prove  tiresome.  I  like 
him  immensely,  myself.  Suppose  we  go  to  bed 
immediately.  I  am  very  weary  and  I  am  sure 
you  must  be." 

She  talked  rapidly  in  order  to  leave  Portia 
nothing  to  say — walking,  meanwhile,  with  her 
arm  around  the  younger  woman,  towards  the 
pretty  chamber  she  had  so  lovingly  fitted  up. 

She  went  inside,  looked  around  to  see  if  every- 
thing were  in  readiness,  and  then,  folding  Portia 
to  her  heart  with  something  sisterly  and  motherly 
at  once  in  the  embrace,  said  good-night. 


301 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  following  day  was  stormy.  The  rain  fell 
with  a  downright,  cheerful  steadiness  which  left 
no  doubt  of  its  intention  to  continue. 

There  was  a  cessation  at  noon  and  the  clouds 
broke  a  little.  A  straggling  ray  of  sunshine  crept 
forth,  but  the  clouds  joined  again  and  a  quiet 
drip,  drip,  set  in  which  had  not  abated  when  it 
was  time  to  start  for  the  city. 

An  east  wind  was  blowing.  It  came  in  from 
the  sea  saturated  with  salt,  and  the  penetrating, 
yet  exhilarating,  dampness  characteristic  of  coast 
storms. 

Dr.  Brighteck  and  Mrs.  Candace  were  ductile. 
They  acquiesed  in  Bryan's  off-hand  proposition 
about  the  carriages. 

The  little  doctor  was  never  happier  than  during 
the  rare  occasions  when  he  was  alone  with  Eliza- 
beth. Their  brief  ride  to  the  station  had  a  reflected 
suggestion  of  intimacy  from  the  fact  that  a  pair 
of  possible  lovers  was  following  closely  behind. 

There  is  more  peace,  if  less  exaltation,  in  nega- 
tive conditions  oftentimes,  and  Dr.  Brighteck, 
as  long  as  Mrs.  Candace  remained  single,  could 


302  XahewooO. 

wait  cheerfully,  and  with  an  indefinite  hope  cen- 
tring about  a  remote  future,  which  did  not  inter- 
fere with  the  diversified  currents  of  his  accustomed 
thought  or  break  into  the  routine  of  his  daily 
habits. 

Unaware  of  the  depth  of  his  patience,  she  con- 
tinued to  enjoy  her  friend,  once  a  lover,  without 
a  qualm  of  conscience. 

As  they  drove  along  the  streets,  however,  the 
windows  of  the  brougham  cloudy  with  the  damp- 
ness, the  patter  of  the  incessant  rain  on  the  roof, 
a  fur  rug  tucked  closely  over  them,  and  the  land- 
scape dreary  in  its  monotonous,  level  solitude, 
she  dreamily  felt  the  comfort  and  cheer  of 
a  companionship  so  congenial  and  unobtrusive. 
The  thought  floated  through  her  mind,  but  van- 
ished as  it  came,  of  how  unreasonable  she  was 
with  possibly  a  long  life  before  her  to  hold  aloof 
from  one  who  would  give  her  so  much  and  demand 
so  little.  But  aloofness  is  a  condition  of  feeling 
after  all ;  it  is  not  a  state  into  which  a  woman 
deliberately  enters. 

Elizabeth  had  taken  life  as  it  was  made  for  her, 
moulding  her  conduct  accordingly.  She  had  ac- 
cepted hard  conditions  uncomplainingly,  and  she, 
more  than  any  one  else,  unless  it  were  Dr.  Brigh- 
teck,  candidly  regretted  her  incapacity  for  the  old 
girlish  impulsiveness  of  feeling  which  is  a  luxury 
in  itself.  She  too,  however,  had  a  vague  expecta- 


Xahewoofc. 


303 


tion  that  perhaps  in  a  very  indefinite  future  she 
might  draw  nearer  to  this  thoroughly  loyal  and 
delightful  friend  ;  at  least — now  that  she  was  back 
again  in  her  own  land — they  must  necessarily  see 
much  of  each  other. 

"  I  wonder  what  they  are  talking  about,"  she 
said,  with  a  motherly  smile  sitting  prettily  on  her 
young  face,  as  she  threw  her  head  back  in  the 
direction  of  Bryan  and  Portia. 

"  I  wonder  if  that  new  trap  will  keep  Miss  Max 
from  getting  wet,"  said  Dr.  Brighteck,  laughing. 
"  We  are  facing  the  storm  and  there  is  enough 
wind  to  drive  the  rain  right  in  on  them.  I  never 
saw  a  man  yet  who  could  be  in  love  and  matter- 
of-fact  at  the  same  time.  You  would  have  thought 
Mallory,  though,  different  from  the  common  run. 
I  would  like  to  know  how  life  looks  to  her  at  this 
moment." 

"  There  is  a  glow  along  the  horizon  which  she 
sees  but  insists  on  misinterpreting.  She  dare 
not  face  the  fact  of  a  sunrise  for  herself  yet." 

"  There  will  have  to  be  a  grand  outburst  sooner 
or  later.  It  might  take  a  luminary  as  deliberate 
as  Mallory,  though,  a  whole  season  to  warm  a  dis- 
tant planet  like  Miss  Max." 

"  I  am  not  so  pessimistic.  The  merest  accident, 
such  as  a  clearer  perspective  than  usual  growing 
out  of  opportunity,  will  suddenly  awaken  her. 
The  next  best  thing,  doctor,  to  being  in  love,  is 


304  XafeewooO. 

to  help  other  people  in  love.  You  and  I  must 
help  Mallory  and  Portia." 

He  gave  her  a  passing,  wistful  glance.  "  All 
right,"  he  replied. 

Meanwhile,  notwithstanding  the  hood  of  the 
hansom  projected  more  than  usual  in  such  a 
vehicle,  and  notwithstanding  the  apron  was 
drawn  up  to  its  utmost  extent,  the  wind  did  blow 
the  rain  so  drenchingly  in  Portia's  face  that  Bryan 
bethought  him  of  his  umbrella.  This  he  held 
before  her  with  a  cosy  sense  of  protecting  her. 

The  wind,  getting  in  on  the  side,  occasionally, 
blew  the  end  of  her  veil  over  his  face.  It  was 
deliciously  scented  with  violet. 

If  one  of  the  short  locks  on  her  forehead,  curl- 
ing up  in  little  spiral  rings,  from  the  dampness,  had 
touched  his  cheek,  he  could  not  have  thrilled  more 
with  the  contact.  The  delicious,  evanescent  per- 
fume let  him  know  what  flowers  to  run  out  and 
buy  for  her  as  soon  as  they  reached  their  hotel. 

Meanwhile,  those  earnest  eyes  were  so  near  his 
that  he  could  look  right  into  their  honest  depths. 
They  were  bright  now  with  the  gayety  of  spirit 
settling  down  upon  her  like  an  atmosphere  ;  but 
there  was  a  wistful,  patient  sadness  in  them,  also, 
telling  that  the  cup  of  bitter  experience  had 
already  met  her  lips. 

It  was  this  quality  of  multiplied  experiences 
united  to  conditions  of  purpose  and  effort,  as  yet 


ILafcevvooD. 


3°S 


foreign  to  him,  but  which  she  had  met  heroically, 
that  made  her  so  lovable  to  him.  So  he  thought. 
There  was  also  an  attractiveness  about  her,  grow- 
ing out  of  ardent  sympathies  lying  near  the  sur- 
face, as  well  as  a  delicacy  of  sentiment,  that  kept 
her  on  a  supremely  high  level  to  his  imagination. 
He  was  gradually  finding  out  that  a  true  and  rev- 
erent love  for  a  woman  places  a  man's  being  on 
an  axis  that  greatly  increases  its  orbit. 

The  train  was  one  uniquely  and  providentially 
provided  for  this  journey,  so  it  seemed  to  Bryan. 

Instead  of  the  usual  cars  with  their  wide  seats 
and  spacious  aisles,  it  was  made  up  of  a  series  of  old- 
fashioned  ones  with  short,  high-backed  seats,  each 
having  a  small-paned  window  through  which  only 
a  patch  at  a  time  of  the  landscape  was  visible. 

The  car  they  entered  was  nearly  full,  so  that  the 
doctor  and  Mrs.  Candace  had  to  take  a  seat  at  the 
rear  end,  while  they  were  at  the  other. 

How  snug  and  shut  in  to  him  she  looked  with 
that  little  window  beginning  only  at  her  shoulder. 
What  a  nice  seat  it  was  with  its  boxy  properties. 
How  thoroughly  suitable  that  there  was  no  one 
but  the  blank,  automatic  conductor  to  disturb 
their  vision.  Did  ever  the  hollow  rumble  of  the 
wheels  over  the  wet  rails  chime  with  a  man's 
undefined  longings  or  present  satisfaction  more 
thoroughly  ?  Did  ever  pines  with  their  dense, 

green  spreading  tops  look  before  like  umbrellas 
20 


306  XaftewooD. 

nature  had  opened  all  along  the  route  in  case  of 
possible  accident?  And  the  sand  dunes — with 
their  ever-changing  forms,  fickle  and  pliable  as  the 
hungry,  moody,  passionate  sea  caressing  them  one 
moment  and  tearing  them  asunder  the  next ; 
there  was  something  positively,  radiantly  smiling 
in  their  yellow  heaps. 

Sitting  there  beside  him  in  that  small  enclos- 
ure, Portia  had  a  comfortable  sense  of  their 
isolation.  Sometimes  she  looked  out  of  the 
small  high  window  at  the  cheerless  stretches  of 
rank  grass  on  which  the  rain  froze  as  it  fell ;  or 
her  eye  fastened  on  meagre  cottages  on  which  the 
paint  looked  dingy  in  the  dim  atmosphere  ;  or,  as 
the  train  roared  through  the  cuts  whose  sodden, 
yellow  banks  encroached  on  either  side,  it  seemed 
as  if  they  might  forever  shoot  forward  into  space 
with  nothing  to  seize  their  vision  outside  and 
nothing  within  to  distract  them  from  each  other. 

But  by  and  by  they  came  nearer  the  sea.  They 
began  to  glide  over  the  long  trestles.  They  heard 
the  heavy,  hopeless  dash  of  an  occasional  breaker 
as  if  it  brought  with  it  from  afar  the  consummation 
of  an  unknown  tragedy.  They  saw  the  mysterious 
reach  of  fog  shutting  down  upon  the  ocean. 

The  outside  world  was  hauntingly  lonesome ; 
but  inside,  within  that  homely  car,  were  warmth 
and  a  near  presence  of  which  each  became  more 
and  more  conscious  as  the  journey  proceeded. 


2-afcewooO.  307 

After  they  reached  the  city,  there  was  no  fur- 
ther opportunity  for  these  suggestive  isolations, 
and  it  was  doubtless  well,  if  Portia  were  to  get 
any  clear  idea  of  the  women  whom  she  had  come 
to  see  and  hear. 

She  was  in  an  excited  state  of  expectation 
while  sitting  in  their  box  near  the  stage  of  the 
opera  house.  Mrs.  Candace  and  she  were  in  front. 

She  leaned  over  occasionally  to  take  in  the 
full  extent  of  the  parquet  at  a  glance.  She  fairly 
gasped  at  the  view  she  gained  of  thousands  of  men 
and  women  solidly  filling  the  great  space  to  the 
doors ;  of  other  thousands  occupying  the  boxes  and 
soaring  galleries ;  of  the  large  company  crowded 
on  the  stage  till  its  utmost  capacity  was  taxed. 

How  mysterious  the  small  doors  on  either  side 
of  the  rostrum  looked.  She  watched  them  with 
the  fascination  she  had  felt  when  some  great 
singer  was  about  to  issue  from  them.  They  were 
opened  at  intervals  and  women  came  out.  She 
became  aware  that  the  speakers  of  the  evening 
must  be  there  in  actual  flesh  and  blood  before  her. 

Elizabeth  leaned  over,  pointing  one  after 
another  out. 

"  I  think,  dear,  there  is  one  thing  you  ought  to 
keep  in  mind.  You  have  come,  you  know,  to 
hear  how  they  speak,  and  you  must  not  let  your- 
self get  carried  away  with  what  they  say.  The 
mere  art  of  speaking  is  a  great  accomplishment 


308  Xafcewoofc. 

which  you  want  to  study.  Do  you  see  that 
rather  stout  lady  at  the  right  ?  She  is  Mrs.  Mary 
Lathrop.  She  has  a  voice  like  a  sweet-toned 
bell  and  a  power  of  sarcasm  allied  to  a  logical 
faculty — all  which  she  carries  off  in  such  a  happy, 
off-hand  manner  that  if  you  are  not  careful  you 
will  completely  forget  yourself  and  listen  to  her 
exactly  as  if  she  were  telling  a  thrilling  story.  You 
must  not  forget  yourself,  for  you  are  here  to  criti- 
cise these  women  as  speakers.  Notice  that  lady 
sitting  on  the  farther  side — the  one  in  a  shawl 
and  a  poke  bonnet.  Look  at  the  straight  line 
of  her  temples  and  cheek — so  straight  that  you 
could  lay  the  palm  of  your  hand  flat  against  it. 
Notice  her  full  eyelids  and  high,  thoughtful  fore- 
head. Isn't  her  face  the  embodiment  of  purity, 
reticence  and  benevolence  ?  She  is  Mrs.  Hannah 
Pearsall  Smith.  The  one  quite  near  is  Lady 
Somerset.  Her  features  are  rather  heavy  but 
mobile.  Doesn't  she  sit  well  ?  She  looks  even 
better  when  she  stands.  She  makes  one  have 
a  little  patience  with  the  British  Aristocracy — 
although  I  never  saw  a  woman  more  American  in 
the  sense  of  being  '  advanced  '  than  Lady  Somer- 
set is.  The  woman  beside  her  is  Frances  Willard. 
Miss  Willard  is  intensely  magnetic,  so  you  will 
have  to  hold  yourself  well  in  hand  also  when  you 
hear  her.  That  rather  short,  florid,  executive- 
looking  woman  is  Mrs.  Ellen  Foster.  She  is 


309 

blended  physical  and  mental  dynamite  whom  one 
would  better  not  stir  up  unless  he  expects  to  be 
blown  to  pieces." 

"  Isn't  it  odd  and  wonderful,"  said  Portia, 
"  that  we  have  lived  to  see  this  day  ?  They  are 
all  middle-aged  or  old,  aren't  they  ?  I  am  rather 
surprised  and  ashamed  of  my  stupidity  in  not 
having  taken  their  maturity  for  granted.  I  have 
always  thought  of  them  as  young.  I  might  have 
known  it  took  time  to  evolve  such  women." 

"That  notion  of  yours,  I  suspect,  is  a  survival 
of  the  time  when  woman  was  considered  solely  in 
the  light  of  her  eligibility  to  marriage.  Marriage 
of  course,  is  the  best  state  for  most  of  us.  Nearly 
all  these  women  speakers  are  married." 

"  They  are  going  to  begin,"  said  Portia,  with  a 
thrill  of  excitement. 

The  next  moment  the  vast  assemblage  was 
called  to  order. 

Portia  Max  could  never  tell  how  the  time  went 
during  those  two  hours  she  sat  there.  But 
when  Bryan  left  the  box  enthusiastic  over  the 
speakers,  the  little  woman  beside  him  felt  like  a 
moth  with  singed  wings.  She  was  mentally  enu- 
merating what  she  called  her  stage  properties  and 
she  found  herself  woefully  lacking.  To  speak  in 
a  drawing-room  was  something  so  different  from 
filling  a  vast  auditorium  with  tones  compelling 
attention  and  respect,  and  that  were  neither  forced 


310  Xafcewoofc. 

nor  unpleasant.  To  marshal  a  long,  carefully 
wrought  out  argument  on  some  tremendous 
vital  question  meant  an  expenditure  of  force  and 
the  outcome  of  thought,  experience  and  convic- 
tion which  removed  her  small  efforts  as  far  from 
this  plane  as  a  Swiss  music-box  is  from  that  of 
the  mighty  organ  of  Strasburg. 

She  had  entered  the  opera  house  buoyant  with 
expectation  ;  she  left  it  with  a  sense  of  how  rudi- 
mentary her  outfit  for  a  professional  life  was,  and 
a  clinging,  frightened  desire  to  get  behind  some 
power  larger  and  stronger  than  herself  as  a  shield 
against  the  vicissitudes  of  life. 

When  they  stepped  out  on  the  pavement  to 
find  that  the  storm  had  cleared  and  the  stars  were 
shining  brilliantly  while  a  crisp,  frosty  air  touched 
their  faces,they  decided  to  walk  back  to  their  hotel. 

Portia  and  Bryan  started  off  at  a  brisk  pace. 

Soon  the  crowd  was  behind  them  and  they  felt 
almost  alone  in  the  great  city. 

They  did  not  talk  much. 

Whenever  Portia  did  speak,  Bryan  looked  down 
at  her  with  a  tense,  steady  tenderness  which 
thrilled  her  as  nothing  had  ever  done  before. 

And  Bryan,  through  that  subtle  transference 
of  thought  and  feeling  taking  place  between  two 
people  when  they  are  drawing  near  together,  be- 
came aware  that  the  hope  he  was  cherishing  was 
making  a  foundation  for  itself. 


XafccwooD,  311 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

IF  Portia's  lecture  at  the"  Lakewood  "  had  been 
a  drama  and  the  acting  had  been  done  by  others, 
it  would  have  been  called  a  benefit,  for  the  men 
and  women  interested  in  her  parlor  talks  were 
substantial  contributors  as  well  as  indefatigable 
canvassers  for  this  public  one  which  many  hoped 
was  effectually  to  launch  her  on  a  career. 

Her  friends  and  well-wishers  made  a  point  of 
eulogizing  her.  As  the  time  drew  near,  the  im- 
pression became  general  to  the  uninitiated  that 
they  were  to  listen  to  a  prodigy. 

Fortunately,  she  was  only  dimly  aware  of 
the  many  good-natured  efforts  in  her  behalf  or  of 
the  general  sympathy  of  scores  who  had  been 
approached  through  their  benevolence. 

But  Mallory  knew  about  everything,  and  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life  he  suffered  vicariously.  He 
had  his  fist  doubled  repeatedly  with  the  impulsive 
intention  to  strike  out  flat  as  he  heard  men  speak 
of  the  lecture  as  of  a  mission,  and  as  a  new  way  of 
squeezing  money  out  of  them.  He  simply  main- 
tained silence  as  he  heard  the  women  gleefully 


312  XaftewooD. 

rehearse  the  manner  in  which  they  had  approached 
this  one  and  that  one — "  Making  him  take  ten  or 
twenty  tickets,  although  knowing  he  didn't  want 
to." 

The  women  showed  better  lists  than  the  men. 

Every  one  who  went  to  Mallory  received  a 
subscription  almost  before  she  had  a  chance  to 
explain. 

When  the  committee  on  the  lecture  met  in  final 
session  and  compared  notes,  it  was  found  that  he 
had  given  just  one-half  of  the  amount  subscribed. 
A  distressing  silence  fell  upon  them,  and  then 
there  was  a  general  smile  at  their  own  expense 
accompanied  by  a  perception  that  they  had  dis- 
covered a  bonanza  for  their  charities. 

Finally  a  gossiping  query  was  raised  as  to 
whether  Mr.  Mallory  was  in  love  with  Miss  Max. 

"  In  love  !  "  exclaimed  a  lady,  contemptuously. 
"  He  couldn't  fall  in  love  with  her.  It  is  pure 
generosity.  Everybody  is  interested  in  giving 
her  a  start  who  knows  about  her  father  and  the 
way  he  lost  his  fortune,  through  no  fault  of  his 
own." 

"  Yes,  it  is  simply  generosity,"  said  another.  "In 
fact,  the  young  man  told  me  that  if  the  subscrip- 
tions fell  short  of  our  expectations,  to  call  on  him 
for  the  balance.  I  think  he  is  lovely.  He  always 
does  anything.  I  want  him  to." 

"  We  are  never  going  to  get  twelve  hundred 


XaftewooD.  313 

people  to  come,"  said  a  pensive  woman,  shaking 
her  head  lugubriously.  "  That  will  make  her  feel 
bad.  She  will  want  to  think  she  has  really  earned 
this  nice  little  sum." 

"  Oh,  she  won't  care,  if  she  only  gets  the  money. 
I  wouldn't,"  said  a  flat-faced  woman  with  an  exten- 
sive mouth  and  throwing  off  a  sable  cape.  "  It's 
money  Miss  Max  needs  and  what  she  is  thinking 
about." 

Meanwhile,  Portia  spent  the  mornings  in  severe 
study  and  vocal  exercises  to  strengthen  her  voice. 
The  afternoons  and  evenings  were  full  of  plans  on 
Mrs.  Candace's  part  by  which  Mallory  had  all  the 
opportunities  his  growing  capacity  for  her  parlor 
needed.  Every  day  that  brought  the  lecture 
nearer  brought  him  closer  to  an  avowal  he  withheld 
from  making  only  lest  Portia  did  not  yet  fully 
know  her  own  heart.  But  he  was  savagely  bent 
on  preventing  her  from  giving  another  lecture,  if 
it  had  to  be  based  on  such  preliminaries  as  those 
of  this  first  one. 

Elizabeth  found  him  one  evening  pacing  up 
and  down  a  deserted  corridor.  His  brow  was 
wrinkled  and  his  step  was  nervous.  When  he  saw 
her  he  caught  on  to  her  society  eagerly. 

"  I  don't  like  all  this  fuss  about  raising  money 
one  bit,  Mrs.  Candace.  I  would  have  given  the 
whole  sum  cheerfully  to  save  the  canvassing  and 
the  rehearsal  of  the  poor  girl's  life  and  ability." 


314  laftewoofc. 

"  Oh,  you  must  not  lay  too  much  stress  on  such 
matters.  It  is  the  way  things  are  managed  now- 
adays. First,  it  is  influence  and  money,  then 
it  is  success.  If  one  hasn't  her  own  money  or 
influence,  she  is  fortunate  in  getting  a  hold  on 
those  of  others  in  a  legitimate  way.  Portia 
doesn't  know  anything  of  all  our  small  anxieties 
for  Wednesday  morning.  If  the  child  did,  she 
would  be  stricken  dumb.  Those  who  gave  her 
this  start  will  have  forgotten  it  in  a  month.  It 
will  be  simply  one  of  the  subscriptions  of  the 
year  to  thejn." 

"  I  don't  like  it,"  repeated  Bryan,  emphatically. 
"  I  don't  mind  her  lecturing.  She  has  got  the 
talent  for  it.  She's  got  more  talent  for  everything 
than  any  woman  I  ever  met.  Excuse  me,  Mrs. 
Candace,  but  she  is  a  wonderful  girl.  I  don't  like, 
either,  having  her  wear  her  brains  out  on  building 
up  a  neat  little  set  of  proofs  about  the  Gauls  being 
the  regenerators  of  Rome  after  its  fall.  Who 
cares  a  straw  about  the  Gauls  or  Rome  to-day. 
She  ought  to  be  in  league  with  those  women  we 
heard  in  New  York  who  are  working  for  a  cause. 
They  are  the  givers.  They  don't  want  anything 
of  anybody  for  themselves.  It  is  too  much  like 
a  business.  I  mean  it  smacks  of  charity.  To 
think  of  a  Max  helped  along  by  subscriptions ! 
Why  didn't  you,  Mrs.  Candace,  just  ask  me  right 
out  for  the  money  needed  ?  " 


XaftewooD. 


315 


"  But  the  money  was  returned  to  the  subscribers 
in  tickets — and  tickets  mean  an  audience.  You 
and  I  know  that  Portia  will  return  a  full  equiva- 
lent," she  added  reassuringly. 

"  You  could  have  given  the  tickets  away." 

"  It  never  would  have  done.  We  had  to  get 
people  interested,  and  the  way  to  do  it  was  through 
their  pockets.  All  who  bought  the  tickets  will 
either  come  or  see  that  somebody  else  goes. 
There  will  be  six  hundred  there  anyway.  Portia 
will  be  like  a  somnambulist.  She  will  appear  to 
see  the  crowd  in  front  of  her,  but  in  reality  her 
mind  will  be  turned  inward.  She  will  not  suffer 
after  she  has  begun  to  speak." 

"  Well,"  said  Bryan,  in  tones  midway  between 
a  grunt  and  a  groan,  "  she  shall  never  do  it 
again  if  I  have  the  right  to  prevent  it — never  ! 
I  only  wish  I  could  have  gotten  her  to  accept  me 
a  month  ago  and  she  should  never  had  done  it 
this  time." 

Elizabeth  laughed  a  little  soothingly,  and  tried 
to  show  him  the  benefit  Portia  was  deriving. 

"  The  effort  will  be  a  means  to  higher  culture. 
If  she  continues  she  will  really  become  learned  on 
certain  subjects.  She  is  acquiring  concentration 
of  thought  and  self-control." 

"  She  has  so  much  now  that  she  is  strung  up  like 
a  piano  at  concert  pitch.  What  she  needs  is  relax- 
ing— and — if  she  will — if  she  does  take  me— she 


316  XahewooD. 

shall  have  it — twenty  years  of  it  if  she  wants  them. 
I'll  be  the  one  to  take  the  culture  if  it  is  so  bene- 
ficial. I  am  about  the  laziest  dog  on  this  earth. 
Portia  has  made  me  ashamed." 

"  Now  don't  you  see,"  said  Elizabeth  convinc- 
ingly. "  She  would  not  be  Portia  to  you  unless 
she  had  lectured  and  studied — and — evolved 
into  the  perfectly  adorable  woman  you  love." 

"  She  shall  never  do  it  again — never !  Think 
of  the  criticisms  afterward.  I  lie  awake  nights 
composing  them." 

"  To-night  is  the  last,  for  the  present.  You 
needn't  be  afraid  for  her.  She  is  beautifully 
ready.  She  has  recited  the  lecture  to  me  so  many 
times  that  even  I  know  it  by  heart." 

The  night  passed  away,  the  morning  dawned, 
and  at  eleven  o'clock  Portia  found  herself  walking 
down  the  hall  of  the  "  Lakewood  "  toward  the  ball- 
room between  Elizabeth  and  Mrs.  Darlington. 
The  other  members  of  the  committee  were  already 
gathered,  and  first  one  and  then  another  said  a 
word  of  encouragement.  They  all  wore  an  inno- 
cent, triumphal  air  as  if  they  were  crusaders 
returning  from  victory.  Then  they  scattered 
through  the  room  to  overhear  how  the  lecture 
should  be  received  and  to  make  estimates  of  the 
number  present. 

Portia  thought  she  should  never  forget  the 
particular  personal  stare  of  the  placard  hanging 


Zaftewoofc.  317 

outside  the  ball-room  door  or  how  its  brazen  face 
seemed  to  shout  at  her 

" LECTURE ! 

BY 
MISS  PORTIA  MAX 

ON 
THE  GAULS,   THE   SAVIORS   OF   ROME, 

AFTER   ITS 
DOWNFALL." 

Finally  she  was  seated  on  a  very  straight  chair 
beside  a  table.  There  was  a  pot  of  flowers 
blooming  on  the  table.  A  couple  of  books  lay 
rigidly  beside  the  flowers.  She  put  her  MS.  op- 
posite the  books.  Then  she  laid  it  in  her  lap. 

Discovering  her  chair  to  be  so  high  that  the 
MS.  was  slipping,  she  fancied  what  it  would  be  to 
have  it  fall  to  the  floor,  a  vagrant  breeze  seizing 
the  pages  and  blowing  them  everywhere.  She 
laid  it  back  on  the  table  with  a  smothered  sense 
of  having  barely  escaped  a  catastrophe. 

At  length  it  was  time  to  begin. 

She  had  an  intense  vision  of  Naomi  and  Alice, 
Ethel  and  Mrs.  Darlington,  Mrs.  Candace  and  Dr. 
Brighteck.  Each  looked  as  if  she  were  already 
the  greatest  living  oratorical  wonder. 

A  thrill  shot  through  her.  It  strung  every 
muscle  as  if  she  had  seized  a  battery.  Her  knees 


318  Zafcewoofc. 

trembled.  A  spasmodic  twitching  beginning  in 
one  of  her  hands,  she  glued  it  to  her  side. 

All  at  once  she  saw  nothing  but  eyes — eyes 
everywhere  —  hundreds  of  them  —  unthinking, 
staring,  searching  eyes ! 

She  fancied  herself  an  Indian  giving  one  blood- 
curdling, shrieking  whoop  and  dashing  from  the 
room,  off  through  the  town,  into  the  woods,  on  to 
the  sea — away,  away  from  those  myriad  eyes 
coming  closer  and  closer. 

This  cyclone  of  sensation  occupied  seconds ; 
then  she  began. 

Soon  she  saw  no  one.  She  forgot  the  manu- 
script. She  had  no  feeling.  The  lecture  was 
before  her  mind  like  an  illuminated  scroll  from 
which  she  was  reading.  She  turned  her  head 
mechanically  to  the  right  and  left  from  habit 
because  in  the  rehearsals  Elizabeth  had  told  her 
she  must  look  all  around  while  speaking. 

In  due  time  she  saw  the  last  sentence  on  the 
scroll.  She  repeated  it. 

She  stood  a  moment  with  a  strange  relieved 
wonder  that  she  had  gotten  through.  She  felt  a 
little  blindly  behind  her  for  a  chair.  She  found  it 
and  sank  down.  The  blood  rushed  to  her  face. 
It  receded.  All  at  once  she  seemed  to  be 
awake. 

There  was  a  great  crowd  of  the  "  subscribers  " 
pressing  around  her.  Men  and  women  shook 


Xafcewood. 


319 


hands.  One  gentleman  told  her  her  "  effort  was 
very  instructive."  Another  assured  her  that  the 
position  of  those  ancient  Gauls  in  history  was 
clear  to  him  for  the  first  time.  A  beaming,  smiling 
woman  whispered  flatteringly  :  "  I  kept  awake  from 
beginning  to  end,  although  I  always  sleep  at  lect- 
ures," and  a  thin,  white-haired  old  lady,  said, 
"  Child,  how  tired  you  must  be  ! " 

But,  as  lectures  go,  the  resurrected  Gauls  not- 
withstanding, Portia's  public  effort  was  declared  a 
brilliant  success  among  her  friends,  and  the  next 
morning  the  New  York  papers,  in  the  notes 
from  "  Winter  Resorts,"  devoted  from  four  to  six 
lines  each  to  statements  of  the  numbers  present 
and  the  proceeds. 

Two  or  three  reporters  called  at  the  "  Laurel- 
in-the-Pines."  Elizabeth  prudently  saw  each  one, 
and  when  they  asked  for  particulars  concerning 
the  childhood  of  Miss  Max,  she  led  off  with  such 
enthusiastic  eulogies  of  their  respective  journals 
that  they  forgot  what  they  had  come  for  till  after 
she  had  bowed  them  politely  out. 

In  the  evening  Bryan  called.  Portia  looked  at 
him  anxiously.  She  had  not  seen  him  since  the 
night  before.  She  was  afraid,  if  he  had  heard 
her,  he  had  left  without  speaking  to  her  because 
he  was  thoroughly  disgusted. 

She  made  two  or  three  tentative  approaches 
toward  the  subject  occupying  her  thoughts,  but, 


320  XafcewooO. 

either  he  did  not  understand  her,  or  did  not  wish 
to  do  so. 

Instead,  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  very  desultory 
frame  of  mind,  and  talked  a  great  deal  about  vari- 
ous people  they  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting. 

He  gave  her  the  history  of  the  Lorrieves. 

She  was  amazed  at  his  detailed  knowledge  con- 
cerning everybody. 

He  called  Mrs.  Lorrieve  a  broker  who  used  the 
organized  charities  as  a  social  stock  exchange. 
He  mentioned  two  or  three  men  forever  at  her 
beck  and  bidding  —  naming  Millicent's  father 
among  them. 

"You  astonish  me!"  exclaimed  Portia.  "I 
thought  the  Rents  were  on  a  perfectly  inde- 
pendent footing  socially,  now  they  are  so 
rich." 

"  That  is  all  true  in  a  way,"  said  Bryan,  "  but 
Mr.  Kent  got  his  wealth  by  using  Lorrieve  as  a 
prop.  Mrs.  Lorrieve  does  not  mean  to  let  him 
forget  it,  either.  She  has  been  calling  on  Miss 
Kent,  so  Mrs.  Caruthers  says,  and  the  girl  is  in 
a  state  of  high  dudgeon  over  it." 

"She  need  not  return  the  call,"  said  Portia, 
contemplatively. 

"  Oh,  no,  she  needn't,  but  she  will.  It  is  the 
way  with  merely  rich  people.  Society  wears  a 
purely  business  aspect  to  them." 

Portia  began  to  feel  astonished  and  distressed. 


•JLafcevvooO.  321 

Bryan  had  never  before  gotten  down  to  a  flat 
level  of  gossip. 

"There  are  the  Adinas,"  he  continued;  "  they 
have  more  general  culture,  brains,  and  money 
combined  than  half  the  people  one  meets — and 
sensible  men  and  women  are  afraid  to  enjoy  them 
— because  they  have  a  genealogy,  I  suppose.  I 
have  crossed  the  ocean  twice  with  Adina,  and  had 
business  dealings  with  him,  too.  He  is  a  capital 
fellow  and  as  square  as  a  compass.  That  Edwards 
has  touched  his  fancy.  Edwards  is  going  to  have 
an  offer  from  the  banker  before  he  leaves  here. 
It  will  quite  place  the  young  man  on  his  feet.  I 
am  awfully  glad,  for  he  has  plunged  into  an  en- 
gagement with  Miss  Kent,  and  there  may  be 
trouble  ahead  for  both  when  Kent  pere  gets  back 
from  England.  I  notice  by  to-day's  paper  he  has 
taken  a  house  on  Portland  Square  for  the  London 
season — all  for  the  purpose,  I  presume,  of  marry- 
ing his  girl's  dowry  to  some  penniless  English 
officer.  A  man  is  a  fool  or  a  mercenary  wretch 
who  looks  for  money  with  a  wife.  He  gets  all  he 
deserves  and  more  too,  if  he  gets  her." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you,"  said  Portia,  flush- 
ing. "  I  think  it  the  most  natural  thing  in  the 
world  for  wealthy  people  to  like  one  another — 
and  marry.  You  know  what  the  hoofs  of  the 
Yorkshire  farmer's  horse  said  when  he  was  seek- 
ing a  wife  :  '  Pruperty  !  Pruperty ' !  " 

21 


322  Hake  WOOD. 

Bryan  smiled. 

"  I  should  like  to  hear  you  recite  the  whole 
poem,"  he  said,  and  then,  leaning  on  the  table 
and  looking  at  her  steadily,  he  went  on : 

"  You  did  your  level  best,  too,  this  morning. 
I  felt  proud  for  you." 

"  Were  you  really  there,  then  ?  "  she  asked,  sur- 
prised and  pleased. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  was  there,  of  course.  But  I  was  glad 
when  it  was  over." 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  the  girl,  ingenuously. 

"  I  didn't  fancy  your  trying  to  please  such  a 
promiscuous  crowd,  and  then  I  knew  how  tired 
you  were  getting." 

She  looked  down  a  minute.  She  was  exquisite- 
ly glad  that  he  cared  about  her  lecture  or  her, 
even  if  the  care  had  an  unreasonable  expression. 
The  unreasonableness  was  the  most  delightful 
part  of  it. 

"  I  didn't  get  too  tired,"  she  said,  gently. 
"  My  chief  fear  was  that  I  couldn't  please  my 
hearers.  I  felt  terribly  audacious.  I  am  glad  I 
am  through." 

"  You  would  never  want  to  repeat  it,  would 
you?"  he  asked,  eagerly. 

"If  I  did,  what  then?"  she  inquired,  with  a 
little  laughing  defiance.  She  had  always  fancied 
that  in  his  heart  he  was  ultra-conservative  about 
women. 


Xahewoofc.  323 

"  It  wouldn't  be  worth  your  while." 

"  It  would,  if  I  had  talent ;  but  not  having 
talent,  simply  having  the  faculty  of  a  drudge,  I 
would  be  glad  never  to  do  it  again." 

"Then,  don't." 

"  But  I  must." 

"  Portia !  " 

His  voice  was  so  eager,  his  blue  eyes  alight 
with  such  an  ardent,  steely  glow,  that  she  began 
to  tremble. 

"  Portia ! " 

She  raised  her  eyes  with  a  great  effort. 

"  Lecture  to  me  instead — all  the  rest  of  your 
life." 

"  How  weary  you  would  soon  be  of  me." 

He  shook  his  head.  "  I'd  listen,  if  only  to 
hear  the  melody  of  your  voice." 

"  My  voice ! "  Her  face  was  full  of  naive 
wonder.  "  If  it  were  the  rich  contralto  of  Mrs. 
Candace." 

"  Mrs.  Candace  is  all  very  well.  I  have  the 
greatest  respect  for  her — but,  Portia,  it  is  yon 
I  love." 

She  looked  at  him  seriously  and  longingly,  her 
whole  soul  in  that  searching  gaze.  She  could 
not  quite  believe  him,  and  yet  she  knew  he  did 
love  her. 

"  I  do  love  you,  Portia,  with  my  whole  heart. 
Will  you  be  my  wife?" 


324 


•JLaftewooJ). 


They  were  sitting  on  either  side  of  a  table. 
Bryan  had  folded  his  arms,  leaning  them  on  the 
table  as  he  continued. 

He  now  took  her  little  olive  hand  lying  open 
near  him. 

"Will  you,  dear?" 

"  Do  you  care  for  me  so  much  as  that  ?  " 

Their  eyes  met. 

Suddenly  she  put  her  other  hand  over  his  and 
laid  her  cheek  on  it. 

The  table  growing  a  cruel  barrier,  Bryan  soon 
drew  out  his  hand  and  came  around  to  where  she 
remained  with  her  face  covered  now.  He  sat 
down,  and  drawing  her  gently  to  him,  whispered — 

"  Tell  me,  Portia ;  tell  me  you  will  be  my  wife? 
Say  the  very  words,  dear." 

"  Yes,  I  will.     I  will  be  your  wife." 

"  My  darling !  " 

There  was  the  sound  of  voices  just  outside  the 
door. 

She  hurried  into  her  room,  but  returned  pres- 
ently. 

Mrs.  Candace  and  Dr.  Brighteck  had  come  in. 

Elizabeth  hastened  toward  her  with  open  arms. 

"  Dear  heart,  I  am  so  glad." 

"  And  I,  too,  Miss  Max.  You  have  won  the 
very  best  fellow  in  the  world." 

"  I  had  to  tell  them  right  away,  Portia,"  said 
Bryan. 


ZahewooO.  325 


CONCLUSION. 

A  MONTH  after  the  events  narrated  in  the  last 
chapter,  the  Lakewood  season  had  waned. 

There  were  occasional  summer  ardors  in  the 
April  sunshine,  warmed  to  intenser  life  by  the 
yellow  sands  and  the  south  winds  blowing  over 
the  balsamic  pines. 

The  young  people  went  in  search  of  early 
spring  flowers.  The  boats  began  to  dot  the  lake. 

A  few  of  the  cottages  were  deserted ;  the 
hotels  were  no  longer  full ;  but  in  the  mornings 
and  late  afternoons  Madison  Avenue  was  still 
gay  with  carriages. 

Mrs.  Grace  was  again  able  to  drive  out. 

Mr.  Carruthers  had  returned  from  Denver,  and 
his  wife  had  gone  back  rather  suddenly  to  New 
York  to  attend  her  aged  father. 

Perth  and  Millicent,  after  renewing  their  vows 
and  making  all  manner  of  plans  to  begin  life  for 
themselves  in  the  autumn  on  the  salary  Mr. 
Adina's  offer  to  the  young  man  would  furnish, 
parted,  and  Miss  Beadle  and  her  charge  settled 
down  into  what  seemed  a  monotonous  existence 


326  XafeewooO. 

to  the  latter,  and  only  slightly  relieved  by  bi- 
diurnal  letters  from  Perth. 

The  days  did  not  drag  to  Miss  Beadle.  There 
was  but  one  cloud  on  her  horizon,  and  it  was 
composed  of  fears  incident  to  meeting  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kent  on  their  return. 

Meanwhile  there  was  a  daily  urgent  request  on 
Mr.  Gordon's  part  for  an  immediate  marriage. 

But  she  thought  it  was  only  proper  they 
should  wait  till  autumn — "  old  people  should  be 
in  all  things  deliberate." 

"You  don't  want  a  big  wedding,  do  you?" 
he  asked,  in  some  anxiety. 

"  Oh,  mercy,  no !  "  she  cried,  alarmed  at  the 
mere  thought. 

"  You  know  we  have  been  lovers  for  twenty 
years.  We  ought  to  know  our  own  minds  by 
this  time." 

"  It  is  very  true,"  she  said,  with  a  slight  relent- 
ing in  her  voice. 

"  Then,  to  quote  Whittier, '  What's  to  hinder? '  " 

At  length,  rather  suddenly,  and  almost  as  if  of  her 
own  accord,  she  decided  that  an  immediate  mar- 
riage was  advisable.  It  had  occurred  to  her,  after 
a  night  of  sleepless  worry  about  the  Kents,  that 
if  she  were  really  Mrs.  Gordon  when  they  re- 
turned, she  could,  in  an  emergency,  place  her  hus- 
band between  their  wrath  and  herself. 

So,  one  beautiful  spring  morning,  when  the  sky 


XahewooD.  327 

was  as  propitious  as  their  happiness,  they  boarded 
the  train  for  New  York,  went  directly  to  the 
chantry  of  Grace  Church,  and  with  Perth  and 
Millicent  for  absorbed  and  delighted  listeners  and 
witnesses,  were  married  in  good  form  and  with  a 
sufficiently  lengthy  ceremony  to  enable  them  to 
realize  when  they  came  out  on  Broadway  that 
they  were  bona  fide  man  and  wife. 

A  delicious  little  breakfast  at  Delmonico's  fol- 
lowed, and  afterward  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordon,  with 
Miss  Kent,  returned  to  Lakewood.  They  went 
to  the  "  Laurel-in-the-Pines "  in  order  to  afford 
their  young  friend  a  short  stay  at  that  hotel. 

Meanwhile,  Ethel  was  trying  to  put  in  force  her 
new  resolutions,  and  the  chief  concern  she  had 
was,  that  there  was  so  much  pleasure  to  be  gained 
in  sacrificing  one's  self. 

"  Why,  Mrs.  Candace,  if  it  should  continue  to 
be  like  this,  it  will  simply  make  me  more  selfish 
than  ever." 

"  It  will  not  always  be  an  easy  road,"  replied 
Elizabeth,  smiling  tenderly  over  her  ignorance  of 
the  heights  or  depths  of  self-abnegation,  "  but 
these  gentle  beginnings  will  fit  you  for  the  more 
serious  efforts  of  the  future.  It  is  certainly  not 
your  fault  if  you  find  the  giving  up  of  your  house 
to  Portia's  wedding  a  real  joy." 

For  Portia,  too,  was  to  be  married,  and  Ethel 
had  not  only  invited  her  to  stay  at  Pine  Burrs 


328  XahevvooO, 

till  that  event  took  place,  but  had  insisted  upon 
giving  the  wedding. 

Elizabeth  and  Portia  remained  nominally  at 
the  hotel,  but  most  of  the  time  during  the  inter- 
val was  spent  at  Ethel's. 

Portia  lived  as  if  in  a  dream.  Everything  in 
her  life  had  been  changed  with  the  suddenness  of 
the  bloom  of  a  northern  winter  into  summer.  She 
was  in  a  position  where  the  attentions  of  a  lover 
and  the  sweet  and  growing  affection  of  two 
enthusiastic  women  were  becoming  the  very 
breath  of  her  existence. 

And  not  only  Elizabeth  and  Ethel,  but  Mrs. 
Darlington  and  Mrs.  Adina  were  vying  with  each 
other  in  investing  these  preliminary  days  with 
constant  sweet  surprises  that  made  her  forget  she 
had  ever  been  lonely. 

The  public  lecture  which  Bryan  had  so  much 
deplored  and  over  the  gains  from  which  Portia 
was  innocently  and  thankfully  delighted,  enabled 
her  to  provide  her  own  trousseau,  which  she  in- 
sisted upon  doing  to  the  smallest  detail. 

Naomi,  with  the  domestic  foresight  of  a  Jewess 
and  German  in  one,  decided  to  make  her  wed- 
ding present  the  outfit  of  a  princess  in  bed  and 
table-linen. 

Elizabeth  and  Ethel  racked  their  brains  over 
what  would  be  a  fit  expression  of  good-will  and 
love  from  them. 


ILaftewooD.  329 

"  It  is  no  use  thinking  of  diamonds,"  said  Ethel, 
disconsolately.  "  Mr.  Mallory,  I  suppose,  will  be 
presenting  her  with  stomachers  and  coronets  both. 
As  for  other  jewels,  she  is  too  dark  to  wear  emer- 
alds and  too  young  too.  She  can't  wear  pearls, 
and  rubies  are  already  spoken  for  by  Dr.  Bright- 
eck." 

"  Suppose  you  give  her  china,"  suggested 
Elizabeth. 

Ethel  caught  at  the  idea. 

"  I  will,"  she  said.  "  It  is  the  very  thing.  I 
was  green  with  envy  over  Mrs.  Adina's  opportu- 
nity, and  now  I  have  mine." 

"  I  will  give  her  a  complete  service  in  silver,  and 
then,  dear,  whenever  your  dishes  remind  her  of 
you,  the  plate  will  make  her  think  of  me." 

"  That  will  be  lovely  !  "  exclaimed  Ethel,  a  faint 
flush  creeping  into  her  cheeks  still  as  white  as 
the  daisies  in  a  vase  beside  her. 

With  the  modesty  of  a  woman  who  has  long 
had  little,  Portia  feared  her  own  power  to  meet 
the  great  change  in  her  circumstances. 

She  pleaded  so  earnestly  for  a  quiet  and  small 
wedding  that  Ethel  yielded  the  point,  although 
wanting  Portia's  to  be  the  most  notable  affair  of 
the  season. 

There  had  been  much  curiosity  over  what 
Bryan  would  give  his  bride.  Diamond  suns  and 
stars,  necklaces  and  ropes  of  pearls  had  each  been 


330 


Xaftewoofc. 


predicted.  It  was  supposed  she  might  possibly 
wear  several  of  these  modern  evidences  of  a  bride- 
groom's generosity  on  her  wedding  day. 

When  she  was  dressed  in  her  simple  gown 
of  white  silk  muslin  unadorned  with  ancestral  or 
other  lace,  but  as  delicate  a  model  of  exquisite 
needlework  as  only  a  thin  gown  can  be,  and 
after  Ethel  had  adjusted  the  veil  and  when 
Portia  evidently  considered  her  toilet  completed, 
Elizabeth  asked,  as  if  by  way  of  a  gentle  re- 
minder : 

"  Don't  you  expect  to  wear  some  gift  from  Mr. 
Mallory,  dear  ?  " 

She  glanced  up  with  an  expression  of  loving 
pride  and  said : 

"  We  understand  each  other  in  this  respect, 
dear  Mrs.  Candace.  I  am  to  wear  only  my  wed- 
ding-ring to-day." 

Elizabeth  kissed  her. 

"  You  will  insist  on  being  a  regular  Griselda," 
exclaimed  Ethel,  "  but  you  will  have  chances 
enough  to  be  decked  with  the  wealth  of  Ormus 
and  of  Ind,  if  you  choose." 

On  the  gentlest  of  all  the  April  mornings  that 
had  dawned  over  Lakewood,  the  marriage  took 
place  in  Mrs.  Grace's  drawing-room. 

The  sunshine  was  allowed  to  come  in  unob- 
structed. The  floor  was  mottled  with  its  happy 
light. 


Xaftewooo.  331 

The  bride  and  groom  stood  in  a  recess  massed 
with  roses  from  floor  to  ceiling. 

In  a  few  moments,  almost  before  any  one  was 
aware,  the  ceremony  was  over,  and  Portia  was 
listening  to  the  congratulations  of  her  friends. 

A  month  later  the  colonial  mansion  was  closed, 
and  Ethel  and  "  Angora  "  were  travelling  by  easy 
stages  to  the  Engadine.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Darling- 
ton had  made  an  early  exodus  to  the  New  Eng- 
land coast.  Millicent  had  rejoined  her  parents, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordon  were  installed  in  a  cliff 
cottage  at  Newport.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adina  were  set- 
tled in  apartments  in  Frankfort  for  the  remainder 
of  the  spring.  The  Lorrieves  were  stopping  in 
New  York,  as  Mrs.  Lorrieve  was  in  quest  of  a  house, 
having  decided  to  migrate  back  from  "  Chister 
Square  "  to  Gotham  for  the  better  development 
of  a  social  career  successfully  begun  at  Lakewood. 
Dr.  Brighteck  was  in  Hamburg  studying  cholera 
germs,  but  expecting  to  take  a  brief  mid-summer 
vacation  in  Switzerland.  Mrs.  Candace  was  in 
Washington  making  a  round  of  visits,  having 
promised  to  join  the  Mallorys  during  July  in  the 
Swiss  Tyrol. 

THE   END. 


West  I6n&  Series, 


THE  GRASSHOPPERS        .     Mr*.  A  ndrew  Dean 

A  COMEDY  IN  SPASMS  .      .      .        "/<*«" 

ANNE  OF  ARGYLE  .  .  George  Eyre-Todd 
STOLEN  SOULS  .  .  .  William  Le  Queux 
LAKEWOOD  .  .  Mary  Harriott  ff orris 


Otbera  in  preparation 


000  031  906 


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